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 17 is objected to because of the following informalities: “fand” should read “fan”. 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 2, 4, 8, 10, and 11 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.
Regarding claim 2, the limitation “wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises at least two fan stages in series flow, said at least two fan stages in series flow including at least a 1st fan stage spinning at a 1st fan stage rotational velocity and a 2nd fan stage spinning at a 2nd fan stage rotational velocity, wherein said 1st fan stage feeds air to said 2nd fan stage” is indefinite because it is unclear whether the 1st fan stage and the 2nd fan stage of claim 2 are the same or different from the first fan stage and second fan stage of claim 1.
Regarding claim 4, the claim depends on cancelled claim 3.
Regarding claim 8, the limitation “said electrically powered fan module comprises at least one fan stage including a 1st fan stage spinning in a 1st fan stage rotational direction, and wherein at least one of said aircraft and said electrically powered fan module comprises at least one flywheel module spinning in a flywheel module rotational direction that is opposite to said 1st fan stage rotational direction, wherein said 1st fan stage has a 1st fan stage axis of rotation and said flywheel module has a flywheel module axis of rotation wherein said 1st fan stage axis of rotation is also said flywheel module axis of rotation” is indefinite because it is unclear whether the 1st fan stage of claim 8 is the same or different from the first fan stage of claim 1.
Regarding claim 10, the limitation “said electrically powered fan module comprises at least two fan stages including a 2nd fan stage spinning in a 2nd fan stage rotational direction about said 1st fan stage axis, wherein said 2nd fan stage rotational direction is the same as said 1st fan stage rotational direction and opposite to said flywheel module rotational direction” is indefinite because it is unclear whether the 2nd fan stage of claim 10 is the same or different from the second fan stage of claim 1.
Regarding claim 11, the limitation “wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises at least one fan stage including a 1st fan stage that is a diagonal fan stage having a large hollow central portion; wherein said electrically powered fan module further comprises a spinning 1st drive rotor to drive said 1st fan stage, wherein said 1st drive rotor is located within said large hollow central portion of said 1st fan stage and fixed for rotation with said 1st fan stage to form a unitary spinning body, wherein said 1st drive rotor also comprises a hollow center, such that said unitary spinning body spins about said hollow center of said 1st drive rotor in a shaftless manner” is indefinite because it is unclear whether the 1st fan stage of claim 8 is the same or different from the first fan stage of claim 1.
Regarding claim 13, the limitation “wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises at least two fan stages and at least one of said two fan stages is levitated by active magnetic radial bearings and said at least one of said two fan stages spins at a rotational velocity of more than 40,000 revolutions per minute” is indefinite because it is unclear whether the at least two fan stages of claim 13 is the same or different from the at least two fan stages of claim 1.
Claims 9-10 are rejected for depending on a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 5, 6, 7, 14, 16, and 17-25 allowed.
Claims 2, 4, 8, 10-11, and 13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 1, Pedigo (US 10040547 B1) discloses an aircraft (Pedigo, figure 1, item 1) comprising an electrically powered (Pedigo, figures 1 and 6, item 56, motor) fan module (Pedigo, figure 1, item 58), said aircraft further comprising a longitudinal forward flight direction and a longitudinal rearward direction parallel to said longitudinal forward flight direction and opposite to said longitudinal forward flight direction, said aircraft further comprising a vertical downward direction that is orthogonal to said longitudinal forward flight direction and toward the Earth and a vertical upward direction that is also orthogonal to said longitudinal forward flight direction and opposite to said downward direction (Pedigo, figure 1, item 1, aircraft with respective directions); said aircraft being configured to be forwardly propelled toward said longitudinal forward flight direction by at least one longitudinal rearward thrust ejected from said aircraft substantially toward said longitudinal rearward direction (Pedigo, figures 1 and 6, items 74 and 52), wherein;
said electrically powered fan module impels an exhaust air, wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises a rotational axis and an axial direction parallel to said rotational axis, and wherein said electrically powered fan module further comprises a tangential direction that is tangential about said rotational axis and circles around said rotational axis and is centered on said rotational axis (Pedigo, figure 6, item 58, rotor impelling exhaust air and rotates around an axis);
said electrically powered fan module expels said exhaust air into at least one air duct that conducts said exhaust air away from said electrically powered fan module substantially along said tangential direction (Pedigo, figure 6, items 60 and 70),
wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises at least two fan stages in series flow, said at least two fan stages in series flow including a first fan stage capable of a first fan stage rotational velocity and a second fan stage capable of a second fan stage rotational velocity, wherein said first fan stage feeds air to said second fan stage, and wherein said second fan stage rotational velocity is greater than said first fan stage rotational velocity;
wherein the first diagonal fan and second diagonal fan each have a plane of rotation and are each configured to impel exhaust air in a direction tangent to the plane of rotation, and both of the first diagonal fan and second diagonal fan are configured to increase an air speed between inlet and outlet;
wherein said second diagonal fan is placed coaxial with and adjacent to said first diagonal fan such that air passes through said first diagonal fan to said second diagonal fan and then through said second diagonal fan along a helical path; and
wherein the first and stage and second fand stage are placed end-to-end with the outlet of the first fan stage adjacent to the inlet of the second fan stage, except:
the first fan stage comprising a first diagonal fan having an outlet diameter greater than an inlet diameter, and the second fan stage comprising a second diagonal fan having an outlet diameter greater than an inlet diameter, and the inlet diameter of the second diagonal fan approximately equal to the outlet diameter of the first diagonal fan,
Claim 17 is allowed for containing the same allowable matter as claim 1.
Regarding claim 21, Pedigo as modified by Sheridan teaches an aircraft comprising an electrically powered fan module, said aircraft further comprising a longitudinal forward flight direction and a longitudinal rearward direction parallel to said longitudinal forward flight direction and opposite to said longitudinal forward flight direction, said aircraft further comprising a vertical downward direction that is orthogonal to said longitudinal forward flight direction and toward the Earth and a vertical upward direction that is also orthogonal to said longitudinal forward flight direction and opposite to said downward direction; said aircraft being configured to be forwardly propelled toward said longitudinal forward flight direction by at least one longitudinal rearward thrust ejected from said aircraft substantially toward said longitudinal rearward direction, wherein;
said electrically powered fan module impels an exhaust air, wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises a rotational axis and an axial direction parallel to said rotational axis;
said electrically powered fan module expels said exhaust air into at least one air duct that conducts said exhaust air away from said electrically powered fan module substantially along a tangential direction; and
wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises at least one fan stage including a 1st fan stage spinning in a 1st fan stage rotational direction, and wherein at least one of said aircraft (see prior office actions), except:
wherein said electrically powered fan module comprises at least one flywheel module spinning in a flywheel module rotational direction that is opposite to said 1st fan stage rotational direction, wherein said 1st fan stage has a 1st fan stage axis of rotation and said flywheel module has a flywheel module axis of rotation wherein said 1st fan stage axis of rotation is also said flywheel module axis of rotation.
Thus, the prior art fails to teach the claimed matter alone and it would not have been obvious to meet the claims either without undue hindsight based on the applicant's disclosure.
Claims 5, 6, 7, 14, 16, 18-22, and 24-25 are allowed/noted for depending on an allowable claim.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 14-21 of applicant’s reply filed 11/12/2025, with respect to all objections/rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive. These objections/rejections have been withdrawn.
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.
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/RYAN ANDREW YANKEY/Examiner, Art Unit 3642 /JOSHUA J MICHENER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3642