REPAIR OF HIGH VALUE THERMOPLASTIC STRUCTURES USING AUTOMATED FIBER PLACEMENT
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 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1, line 4 and claim 15, line 5, “ply the damage on the thermoplastic part” should read –ply to the damage on the thermoplastic part--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Response to Amendment
Applicant filed a response, amended claim 1, 8, 15, and 18; and cancelled claims 7, 14, and 17 on 10/23/2025.
The claim objection is withdrawn in view of amendments.
Response to Arguments
Arguments are primarily drawn to the amended claims. The rejection below addresses the amendments.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 10-12, 15, and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Linde et al. (US 2019/0039338) in view of Cawthorne (PG-PUB 2017/0087745) and either one of Shimono et al. (US 2020/0254699) or Walters et al. (US 5,958,166).
Regarding claim 1, Linde et al. teach a method, comprising:
identifying damage 14 on a thermoplastic part (component 10) (Abstract; Fig. 1; [0002, 0006, 0032]);
heating a thermoplastic replacement ply before applying the thermoplastic replacement ply on the damage of the thermoplastic plastic part by heating a portion of the thermoplastic replacement ply that will contact the damage on the thermoplastic part (Fig. 3; [0037-0038]);
applying a thermoplastic replacement ply (any of the layers of fiber-reinforced plastic strips 32) to the damage 14 on the thermoplastic part 10 (Fig. 3; [0017, 0019, 0036]); and
consolidating the thermoplastic replacement ply onto the thermoplastic part 10 to weld the thermoplastic replacement ply to the thermoplastic part 10 (Fig. 3; [0037-0038]),
wherein performing the identifying, the heating, the applying, and the consolidating in situ (Fig. 1-3; [0032-0033, 0036]).
Linde teaches the placement head comprises a heating apparatus in the form of a laser-light source 46 for heating the fiber-reinforced plastic-strip semifinished product 44 and/or the fiber-reinforced plastic strips 32 that are to be applied and/or have been applied [0038].
Linde et al. do not specifically teach:
tackifying a thermoplastic replacement ply by heating a portion of the thermoplastic replacement ply that will contact the damage on the thermoplastic part to melt a thermoplastic of the thermoplastic replacement ply, thereby making the portion of the thermoplastic replacement ply at least one of sticky or tacky.
Cawthorne teaches a process of manufacturing a thermoplastic composite structure [0038]-[0039], comprising heating fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material is performed immediately before or during in situ placement of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material 106 to a melting temperature [0077], [0097]-[0098]. Cawthorne teaches heating fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material decreases the viscosity of thermoplastic resin (FIG.1) of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material, placing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material brings surfaces of two adjacent layers into direct contact to entangle layers, thereby forming a fusion bond [0078]-[0079].
It is known in the art to tackify such multilayer composite repair laminates before applying them to a cavity in a damaged composite part, for instance, to facilitate shaping of the repair laminate to conform to the cavity and reduce stresses in the repair, as evidenced by Shimono et al. (Abstract; Fig. 1-2, 5-6, 9; [0004-0005, 0017, 0037, 0053-0057, 0060, 0068-0069, 0071-0072]) and Walters et al. (Abstract; Fig. 1-2; col. 3, LL. 47-50; col. 4, LL. 1-7; col. 6, LL. 4-16). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to similarly tackify the assembled thermoplastic replacement of Linde et al. before applying it to the cavity 18 as taught by Cawthorne, in order to achieve this advantage and form a bond between the thermoplastic replacement and the cavity.
Regarding claim 2, the method further comprises machining the thermoplastic part 10 to remove the damage 14 and create a cavity (stepped cutout 18) (Fig. 2; [0032-0034]). (The examiner notes that “machining” is widely understood within the art to comprise a variety of material removal and shaping techniques, and that the instant specification notes that laser cutting as disclosed by Linde et al. is considered to be one example of such machining.)
Regarding claim 3, the method further comprises assembling a plurality of thermoplastic replacement plies (the layers of fiber-reinforced plastic strips 32) to fit into the cavity 18, the plurality of thermoplastic replacement plies including the thermoplastic replacement ply; and applying the assembled plurality of thermoplastic replacement plies to the thermoplastic part 10, including the cavity 18 (Fig. 3; [0017, 0019, 0036]).
Regarding claim 5, the method further comprises applying heat to the thermoplastic replacement ply; and applying pressure to the thermoplastic replacement ply and the thermoplastic part 10 (Fig. 3; [0038]).
Regarding claim 6, the applying heat includes using a laser (laser-light source 46) to apply heat to the thermoplastic replacement ply (Fig. 3; [0038]).
Regarding claim 8, Linde et al. teach a method of repairing a thermoplastic part (component 10) in situ, the method comprising:
identifying damage 14 on the thermoplastic part 10 (Abstract; Fig. 1; [0002, 0006, 0032]);
machining the thermoplastic part 10 to remove the damage 14 and form a cavity (stepped cutout 18) (Fig. 2; [0032-0034]);
before being applied to the cavity, assembling a plurality of thermoplastic replacement plies (layers of fiber-reinforced plastic strips 32) to form an assembled thermoplastic replacement, the assembled thermoplastic replacement being complementary to the cavity 18 (Fig. 3; [0017, 0019, 0036]);
heating a thermoplastic replacement ply before applying the thermoplastic replacement ply on the damage of the thermoplastic plastic part by heating a portion of the thermoplastic replacement ply that will contact the damage on the thermoplastic part (Fig. 3; [0037-0038]);
applying the assembled thermoplastic replacement to the cavity 18 (Fig. 3; [0017, 0019, 0036]); and
consolidating the assembled thermoplastic replacement onto the thermoplastic part 10 to weld the assembled thermoplastic replacement to the thermoplastic part 10 (Fig. 3; [0037-0038]).
wherein performing the identifying, the machining, the tackifying, the applying, and the consolidating in situ (Fig. 1-3; [0032-0033, 0036]).
Linde teaches the placement head comprises a heating apparatus in the form of a laser-light source 46 for heating the fiber-reinforced plastic-strip semifinished product 44 and/or the fiber-reinforced plastic strips 32 that are to be applied and/or have been applied [0038].
Linde et al. do not specifically teach:
tackifying the assembled thermoplastic replacement before applying the assembled thermoplastic replacement to the cavity, wherein tackifying the assembled thermoplastic replacement comprises heating a portion of the assembled thermoplastic replacement that will contact the cavity to melt a thermoplastic of the assembled thermoplastic replacement, thereby making the portion of the assembled thermoplastic replacement at least one of sticky or tacky.
Cawthorne teaches a process of manufacturing a thermoplastic composite structure [0038]-[0039], comprising heating fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material is performed immediately before or during in situ placement of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material 106 to a melting temperature [0077], [0097]-[0098]. Cawthorne teaches heating fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material decreases the viscosity of thermoplastic resin (FIG.1) of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material, placing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material brings surfaces of two adjacent layers into direct contact to entangle layers, thereby forming a fusion bond [0078]-[0079].
It is known in the art to tackify such multilayer composite repair laminates before applying them to a cavity in a damaged composite part, for instance, to facilitate shaping of the repair laminate to conform to the cavity and reduce stresses in the repair, as evidenced by Shimono et al. (Abstract; Fig. 1-2, 5-6, 9; [0004-0005, 0017, 0037, 0053-0057, 0060, 0068-0069, 0071-0072]) and Walters et al. (Abstract; Fig. 1-2; col. 3, LL. 47-50; col. 4, LL. 1-7; col. 6, LL. 4-16). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to similarly tackify the assembled thermoplastic replacement of Linde et al. before applying it to the cavity 18 as taught by Cawthorne, in order to achieve this advantage and form a bond between the thermoplastic replacement and the cavity.
(The examiner notes that “machining” is widely understood within the art to comprise a variety of material removal and shaping techniques, and that the instant specification notes that laser cutting as disclosed by Linde et al. is considered to be one example of such machining.)
Regarding claim 10, the consolidating the assembled thermoplastic replacement onto the thermoplastic part 10 is performed using an automated fiber placement machine 36 (Linde et al., Fig. 3; [0020, 0038]).
Regarding claim 11, the consolidating further comprises: applying heat to a top surface of the assembled thermoplastic replacement after applying the assembled thermoplastic replacement to the cavity 18; and applying pressure to the top surface of the assembled thermoplastic replacement (Linde et al., Fig. 3; [0038]).
Regarding claim 12, applying heat to the top surface includes directing a laser (laser-light source 46) to the top surface of the assembled thermoplastic replacement to heat the assembled thermoplastic replacement (Linde et al., Fig. 3; [0038]).
Regarding claim 15, Linde et al. teach a method of repairing a thermoplastic part (component 10) in situ, the method comprising:
identifying damage 14 on the thermoplastic part 10 (Abstract; Fig. 1; [0002, 0006, 0032]);
heating a thermoplastic replacement ply before applying the thermoplastic replacement ply on the damage of the thermoplastic plastic part by heating a portion of the thermoplastic replacement ply that will contact the damage on the thermoplastic part (Fig. 3; [0037-0038]);
applying the thermoplastic replacement ply (any of the layers of fiber-reinforced plastic strips 32) directly to a surface of the thermoplastic part 10, the thermoplastic replacement ply covering the damage 14 on the thermoplastic part 10 (Fig. 3; [0017, 0019, 0036]); and
consolidating the thermoplastic replacement ply onto the thermoplastic part 10 to weld the thermoplastic replacement ply to the thermoplastic part (Fig. 3; [0037-0038]),
wherein performing the identifying, the machining, the tackifying, the applying, and the consolidating in situ (Fig. 1-3; [0032-0033, 0036]).
Linde teaches the placement head comprises a heating apparatus in the form of a laser-light source 46 for heating the fiber-reinforced plastic-strip semifinished product 44 and/or the fiber-reinforced plastic strips 32 that are to be applied and/or have been applied [0038].
Linde et al. do not specifically teach:
tackifying the assembled thermoplastic replacement before applying the assembled thermoplastic replacement to the cavity, wherein tackifying the assembled thermoplastic replacement comprises heating a portion of the assembled thermoplastic replacement that will contact the cavity to melt a thermoplastic of the assembled thermoplastic replacement, thereby making the portion of the assembled thermoplastic replacement at least one of sticky or tacky.
Cawthorne teaches a process of manufacturing a thermoplastic composite structure [0038]-[0039], comprising heating fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material is performed immediately before or during in situ placement of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material 106 to a melting temperature [0077], [0097]-[0098]. Cawthorne teaches heating fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material decreases the viscosity of thermoplastic resin (FIG.1) of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material, placing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material brings surfaces of two adjacent layers into direct contact to entangle layers, thereby forming a fusion bond [0078]-[0079].
It is known in the art to tackify such multilayer composite repair laminates before applying them to a cavity in a damaged composite part, for instance, to facilitate shaping of the repair laminate to conform to the cavity and reduce stresses in the repair, as evidenced by Shimono et al. (Abstract; Fig. 1-2, 5-6, 9; [0004-0005, 0017, 0037, 0053-0057, 0060, 0068-0069, 0071-0072]) and Walters et al. (Abstract; Fig. 1-2; col. 3, LL. 47-50; col. 4, LL. 1-7; col. 6, LL. 4-16). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to similarly tackify the assembled thermoplastic replacement of Linde et al. before applying it to the cavity 18 as taught by Cawthorne and suggested by Linde, in order to achieve this advantage and form a bond between the thermoplastic replacement and the cavity.
Regarding claim 18, the tackifying further comprises heating a portion of the thermoplastic replacement ply, wherein the portion includes one or more corners and a center of the thermoplastic replacement ply (Linde et al., Fig. 3; [0037-0038]).
Regarding claim 19, the consolidating the thermoplastic replacement ply onto the thermoplastic part 10 is performed using an automated fiber placement machine 36 (Linde et al., Fig. 3; [0020, 0038]).
Regarding claim 20, the consolidating further comprises: applying heat to the thermoplastic replacement ply after applying the thermoplastic replacement ply to the surface; and applying pressure to a top surface of the thermoplastic replacement ply (Linde et al., Fig. 3; [0038]).
Claim(s) 4 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Linde et al. in view of Cawthorne and either one of Shimono et al. or Walters et al., as applied to claims 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 10-12, 15, and 18-20 above, and further in view of Whitworth et al. (US 2010/0243146).
Regarding claim 4 and 9, Linde et al. do not specifically teach consolidating the assembled plurality of thermoplastic replacement plies before applying the assembled plurality of thermoplastic replacement plies to the cavity 18 of the thermoplastic part 10. However, Whitworth et al. similarly teach fabricating a multilayer composite repair laminate 305 to repair damage in a composite part 101/701. Whitworth et al. teach that by consolidating the repair laminate 305 before adhesively applying it to the composite part 101/701, the tooling and number of cycles required for the repair process are simplified (Abstract; Fig. 1-7; [0001-0002, 0014-0016, 0018-0020, 0022]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to consolidate the assembled plurality of thermoplastic replacement plies of Linde et al. before applying it to the cavity 18, in order to achieve these advantages.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Linde et al. in view of Cawthorne and either one of Shimono et al. or Walters et al., as applied to claims 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 10-12, 15, and 18-20 above, and further in view of either one of Gaillard et al. (US 2021/0229375) or Naumann (US 2012/0073749).
Regarding claim 13, Linde et al. do not specifically teach that applying heat to the top surface includes directing hot air to the top surface of the assembled thermoplastic replacement. However, it is known in the art that hot air is an effective and conventional medium for heating and consolidating similar multilayer composite materials, and specifically recognized as a viable alternative to the laser heating taught by Linde et al., as evidenced by Gaillard (Abstract; Fig. 1; [0003-0005, 0017-0018]) and Naumann (Abstract; Fig. 1; [0004, 0038-0039]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to substitute hot air for the laser of Linde et al., i.e., to direct hot air to the top surface of the assembled thermoplastic replacement, with the expectation of predictable results. Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results is generally within the level of ordinary skill in the art; see MPEP 2143.
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Linde et al. in view of Cawthorne and either one of Shimono et al. or Walters et al., as applied to claims 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 10-12, 15, and 18-20 above, and further in view of either one of Bahramshahi et al. (US 2023/0211567) or Simonin et al. (US 2020/0307096).
Regarding claim 16, Linde et al. do not specifically teach that the thermoplastic replacement ply is the same material as the thermoplastic part 10, but teach that the intent of the method is to complete the repair such that it substantially corresponds in mechanical properties to the original, defect-free thermoplastic part 10 [0011]. Further, it is well known in the art to select such multilayer composite repair laminates to be of the same material as the damaged composite part in order to achieve such compatibility, as evidenced by Bahramshahi et al. (Abstract; Fig. 2; [0028, 0032]) and Simonin et al. (Abstract; Fig. 1; [0003, 0011, 0026, 0029-0030, 0035]). Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to ensure that the thermoplastic replacement ply of Linde et al. is the same material as the thermoplastic part 10, in order to produce the consistent properties desired by Linde et al.
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 HANA C PAGE whose telephone number is (571)272-1578. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9:00-5:30.
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HANA C. PAGE
Examiner
Art Unit 1745
/MICHAEL A TOLIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1745
