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
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 3/18/26 has been entered. Claims 1 and 3-20 remain pending in the application. Application’s amendments to the Drawings, Specification, and Claims have overcome each and every objection and 112(b) rejection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 12/18/25.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 3/18/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant asserts that Bruno does not teach a second medium output from the compressor of the thermodynamic device is operable as a motive flow to draw ram air through the ram air circuit. It is also stated that the flow through V6 of Bruno does not teach this limitation because Bruno does not state that this pulls ram air through the ram air duct. Applicant also asserts that because there is a fan the fluid connection downstream of V6 does not provide any motive flow to draw ram air through the circuit.
Examiner asserts this does not need to be explicitly stated and that the downstream fluid connection fulfils this claim limitation as there would be some pull from the downstream air flow even with a fan provided because the pull would be increased with this addition. With regards to claim 1, claim 1 is an apparatus claim and Applicant has not pointed out a structural difference between the prior art and the claimed invention. It is also noted that Applicants invention has a flow of RAM Air in the circuit and considers a downstream addition of flow motive indicated that even with RAM Air flow this addition would be a motive flow in a similar manner to what is provided in Bruno.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “provided at the outlet of the thermodynamic”. It is unclear what a thermodynamic comprises. For examination purposes Examiner will consider this to be the thermodynamic device. Appropriate correction is required.
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 3-4 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.
Claim 3 recites “wherein in the first mode, only a conditioned first medium is provided to an outlet of the environmental control system”. Claim 1 requires that in the first mode the second medium is provided downstream of the heat exchangers which is the outlet of the device. It is unclear how both of these conditions are possible or if unconditioned mediums are or are not counted against the only limitation. For examination purposes Examiner will consider that as long as a first medium is applied to any outlet of the device the claim limitation is met.
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, 3-17 and 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. PGPUB 20220033086 to Bruno et al. (Bruno).
Regarding claim 1, Bruno teaches a plurality of inlets including a first inlet for receiving a first medium (22, A1, Figure 5) and a second inlet for receiving a second medium (24, A2, Figure 5); a ram air circuit (30, Figure 5) having a plurality of heat exchangers including a first heat exchanger (36, Figure 5) and a second heat exchanger (34, Figure 5), the ram air circuit being fluidly coupled to both the first inlet and the thermodynamic device (through A2 and pathway which V6 is located on);
a thermodynamic device including a compressor (42, Figure 5) and at least one turbine (44, 46, and/or 70, Figure 5), the thermodynamic device being fluidly coupled to and configured to receive a flow of the second medium from the second inlet (through A2, Figure 5), and outlet of the thermodynamic device being fluidly connected to the ram air circuit via a first conduit branch at a location downstream from both the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and upstream from an outlet of the ram air circuit (connection downstream of either V6 leads to the ram air circuit through the flowpaths provided which can include the cabin) and the outlet of the thermodynamic device being fluidly connected to an inlet of one of the plurality of heat exchangers via a second conduit branch (outlet of compressor C leads to heat exchanger 36) ; and wherein the environmental control system is operable in a plurality of modes including a first mode and a second mode (Paragraphs 0053-0056 and 0060 indicate operating conditions of which the mode when V6 is open can be considered a first mode), in the first mode, the second medium provided at the outlet of the thermodynamic to the ram air circuit downstream from both the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is configured as a motive flow to draw a flow of ram air through the ram air circuit (downstream flow connection provide at least some motive flow, shown in Figure 5 which occurs in either low altitude mode or high altitude mode)
Regarding claim 3, Bruno teaches wherein in the first mode, only a conditioned first medium is provided to an outlet of the environmental control system (Paragraph 0055 indicates a time period where A1 is supplied to an outlet of the system which can be considered the outlet that leads to fan 38. This is also considered conditioned because it is altered or treated from the engine).
Regarding claim 4, Bruno teaches wherein in the second mode, a conditioned form of both the first medium and the second medium is provided to the outlet of the environmental control system (Paragraph 0052 discloses this orientation through V3 as part of any mode of the device which eventually leads to the outlet of the system through V5 or both streams can lead to the outlet of the system through V6 and V7 per Paragraphs 0053-0055).
Regarding claim 5, Bruno teaches wherein in the first mode, the first inlet is fluidly connected to an inlet of both the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger (22 is fluidly connected to 34 per dotted line in Figure 5 and to 36 through duct 32 which connects the inlet of 36 and 22).
Regarding claim 6, Bruno teaches wherein in the first mode, the first medium output from the first heat exchanger is mixed with the first medium output from the second heat exchanger (mixing through V3 which occurs in all modes).
Regarding claim 7, Bruno teaches wherein in the second mode, the first inlet is fluidly connected to only the inlet of the second heat exchanger (V2 and V7 are closed at times in all modes which would meet the limitation of claim 7).
Regarding claim 8, Bruno teaches wherein the second medium is provided to the ram air circuit from the outlet of the thermodynamic device (path through V6, Figure 5).
Regarding claim 9, Bruno teaches wherein the outlet of the thermodynamic device is the outlet of the compressor (path through V6, Figure 5).
Regarding claim 10, Bruno teaches wherein the at least one turbine of the thermodynamic device includes a first turbine and a second turbine (44, 46 and/or 70, Figure 5).
Regarding claim 11, Bruno teaches wherein the first turbine is fluidly connected to the second heat exchanger (pathway to 44 from 36 shown in Figure 5).
Regarding claim 12, Bruno teaches wherein the plurality of inlets includes a third inlet (28, Figure 5) configured to receive a third medium (A3, Figure 5) and the third turbine is fluidly coupled to the third inlet (70, Figure 5).
Regarding claim 13, Bruno teaches wherein the first mode is associated with operation of the aircraft when on the ground (Paragraphs 0053-0054 discloses modes that either apply to all modes or to ground modes. It is further noted that the high-altitude mode can be used on the ground a therefore also can apply to this first mode).
Regarding claim 14, Bruno teaches wherein the second mode is associated with operation of the aircraft at altitude (Paragraphs 0053-0054 discloses modes that either apply to all modes or to at altitude modes or at ground mode which is a mode at altitude).
Regarding claim 15, Bruno teaches wherein the first medium is bleed air (Paragraph 0041) and the second medium is outside air (Paragraph 0042).
Regarding claim 16, Bruno teaches a first medium (A1, Figure 5) to at least one heat exchanger (34, Figure 5) of a ram air circuit; extracting energy from the first medium to form an expanded first medium (46, Figure 5); delivering the expanded first medium to an outlet associated with one or more loads of the aircraft (outlet passes through to 70 and/or duct 30, both of which meet the claim limitation); compressing a second medium at a compressor to form a compressed second medium (A2, 42, Figure 5), wherein the energy extracted from the first medium is used to drive the compressor (Paragraph 0057); and in a first mode of operation drawing a flow of ram air through the ram air circuit using the compressed second medium (flow through 24, Figure 1 disclosed as part of low altitude and high altitude operations, Paragraphs 0055-0063) and in a second mode of operation, conditioning the compressed second medium to form a conditioned compressed second medium deliverable to the outlet (through 36, 52, 54, and V5, Figure 5 or simply through 62 and V4).
Regarding claim 17, Bruno teaches wherein in the first mode of operation, the first medium is provided to a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger of the ram air circuit (flowpath through 34, 60, v3, 62, and 36 shown in Figure 5).
Regarding claim 19, Bruno teaches wherein in the second mode of operation, the first medium is provided to only the second heat exchanger of the ram air circuit (flowath where V2 and V7 are shut).
Regarding claim 20, Bruno teaches wherein in the second mode of operation, further comprising extracting energy from a third medium, wherein the energy extracted from the third medium is used to drive the compressor (A3 through 70 which assists in diving 42 as shown in Figure 5 and Paragraph 0066).
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) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bruno in view of U.S. PGPUB20160347456 to Bruno (Bruno456).
Regarding claim 18, Bruno is silent on the first medium is provided to the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in parallel.
Bruno456 teaches the first medium is provided to the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in parallel (Figure 8, Paragraph 0029 which discloses air B cooled by both heat exchanger 102 and 104). 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 Bruno 456 to provide the first medium is provided to the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in parallel. Doing so would allow the bleed air to be cooled as desired in either heat exchanger which would even out the load on each heat exchanger and extend their lifespan.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Hoang can be reached at 574-272-6460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/STEVEN S ANDERSON II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
Prosecution Insights