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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-4 and 6-12 in the reply filed on 6/2/26 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6, 8-10, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. PGPUB 20220033084 to Bruno et al. (Bruno).
Regarding claim 1, Bruno teaches a plurality of medium sources including a first medium source (24, Figure 5), a second medium source (22, Figure 5), and a third medium source (28, Figure 5); a cabin air compressing device arranged in fluid communication with the plurality of medium sources (40a, Figure 5), the cabin air compressing device comprising: a shaft (46a, Figure 5); a compressor connected to the shaft (42a, Figure 5, Paragraphs 0054-0055), the compressor having a compressor inlet (A2, Figure 5) and a compressor outlet (beneath the compressor in Figure 5), the compressor inlet being fluidly coupled to the first medium source and the compressor outlet being fluidly connected to an inlet of a downstream environmental control system pack (40b, Figure 5); and at least one turbine connected to the shaft 44a, Figure 5), wherein energy extracted within the at least one turbine is configured to drive the compressor (shown in Figure 5, Paragraph 0076).
Regarding claim 2, Bruno teaches wherein the at least one turbine has a turbine inlet, the turbine inlet being fluidly connected to both the second medium source and the third medium source (28 and 22 both connected to the turbine).
Regarding claim 3, Bruno teaches wherein the at least one turbine is a single turbine (Figures 1-4).
Regarding claim 4, Bruno teaches wherein the at least one turbine is a dual entry turbine (Paragraph 0075) having a first nozzle and a second nozzle, the first nozzle being fluidly connected to the second medium source and the second nozzle being fluidly connected to the third medium source (Figure 5 and Paragraph 0075).
Regarding claim 6, Bruno teaches wherein the at least one turbine has a turbine outlet, the turbine outlet being fluidly connected to another inlet of the downstream environmental control system pack (connected to the inlet through 59 which leads to 40b).
Regarding claim 8, Bruno teaches wherein the cabin air compressing device further comprises an electric motor operably connected to the shaft and configured to drive the compressor (Paragraph 0054).
Regarding claim 9, Bruno teaches wherein a first medium provided from the first medium source is fresh air (Paragraph 0063 discloses A2 to be fresh air).
Regarding claim 10, Bruno teaches wherein at least one of a second medium provided from the second medium source and a third medium provided from the third medium source is bleed air (Paragraph 0061 discloses A1 to be bleed air).
Regarding claim 12, Bruno teaches wherein at least one of a second medium provided from the second medium source and a third medium provided from the third medium source is cabin discharge air (Paragraph 0049).
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(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bruno in view of U.S. PGPUB 20220033091 to Bruno et al. (091).
Regarding claim 7, Bruno is silent on wherein the at least one turbine has a turbine outlet and a flow at the outlet of the turbine is exhausted overboard from the vehicle.
091 teaches wherein the at least one turbine has a turbine outlet and a flow at the outlet of the turbine is exhausted overboard from the vehicle (Paragraph 0061 discloses dumping a medium from the outlet of a turbine to ram air or overboard). 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 teachings of Bruno with the teachings of 091 to provide wherein the at least one turbine has a turbine outlet and a flow at the outlet of the turbine is exhausted overboard from the vehicle. Doing so would by a simple substitution of parts and/or allow the flow in the ram air circuit to be controlled as desired.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bruno in view of U.S. PGPUB 20190145420 to Schwarz et al. (091).
Regarding claim 11, Bruno is silent on wherein the bleed air provided from the second medium source has a temperature less than 450°F during all operating conditions of the vehicle.
Schwarz teaches wherein the bleed air provided from the second medium source has a temperature less than 450°F during all operating conditions of the vehicle (Paragraph 0046 discloses a temperature of 400F for bleed air which is also a typical maximum operating temperature for compressors). 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 teachings of Bruno with the teachings of Schwarz to provide wherein the bleed air provided from the second medium source has a temperature less than 450°F during all operating conditions of the vehicle. Doing so would protect the compressors from damage and/or would be a simple optimization of range to ensure safety of the components in the device.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN S ANDERSON II whose telephone number is (571)272-2055. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/STEVEN S ANDERSON II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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