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
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 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.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 6/23/26 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1 has been amended. Claims 1-20 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fuji (WO2015141506A1).
PNG
media_image1.png
677
892
media_image1.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image2.png
547
600
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Re claim 1:
Fuji discloses a shaft seal structure (110, flanged radial foil bearing - Page 14, Para 4), comprising:
a housing (15, bearing housing - Page 9, Para 4) having an insertion hole (Modified Fig. 1 above - A (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element A as a type of insertion hole)) through which a shaft (31, rotating shaft - Page 9, Para 3) can be inserted (see Modified Fig. 1 above);
a cylindrical thin plate (111, top foil - Page 15, Para 2) that is flexible (see Figs. 1-5, Page 15, Para 5 and Page 16, Para 2) and placed in the insertion hole (Modified Fig. 1 above - A)(see Modified Fig. 1 above); and
a support (113, bump foil - Page 15, Para 2) arranged between the housing (15) and the thin plate (111)(see Figs. 1-5), the support (113) elastically supporting the thin plate (111)(see Figs. 1-5 and Page 16, Para 2),
one end of the thin plate (Modified Fig. 5 above - A (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element A as a type of one end of element 111 in a circumferential direction of element 111)) in a circumferential direction (see Fig. 5 at element 111 (element 111 is shown extending in a type of circumferential direction)) having a protruding piece (111K, key - Page 15, Para 3) extending radially outward (see Modified Fig. 5),
the protruding piece (111K) being fixed to the support (113)(see Figs. 3 and 5 (element 11k is shown attached to element 113 through assembly of components)),
the thin plate (111) having an inner peripheral surface (Modified Fig. 5 above - B (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element B as a type of inner peripheral surface)) facing an outer peripheral surface (Modified Fig. 5 above - C (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element C as a type of outer peripheral surface of element 31)) of the shaft (31) with a gap (Modified Fig. 5 above - D (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element D as a type of gap between element B and element C (see Page 22, Para 2))) formed between the inner peripheral surface (Modified Fig. 5 above - B) and the shaft (31)(see Modified Fig. 5 above and Page 22, Para 2),
the support (113) extending from one axial end to an other axial end of the thin plate (see Fig. 1), and inhibiting a fluid from flowing in a direction along the shaft (31)(see Figs. 1-5 and Page 22, Para 2 - Page 23, Para 2).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fuji (WO2015141506A1), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Tokunaga et al. (U.S. 2020/0063873).
Re claim 2:
Fuji discloses the shaft seal structure (110) of claim 1 (as described above).
Fuji fails to disclose wherein the support is made of a mesh member.
Tokunaga teaches wherein a support (10, wire mesh damper - Para 45 (see Figs. 1-2 and Para 50-51)) is made of a mesh member (Para 45 - “…a wire mesh damper 10…”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modeled the support of Fuji after the support of Tokunaga, thereby making the support of Fuji be made of a mesh member in the way taught by Tokunaga, for the advantage of being able to reduce whirling (Para 45).
Re claim 4:
Fuji discloses the shaft seal structure (110) of claim 1 (as described above).
Fuji fails to disclose wherein the support includes a mesh member and a soft filler that fills voids in the mesh member.
Tokunaga teaches wherein a support (10, wire mesh damper - Para 45 (see Figs. 1-2 and Para 50-51)) includes a mesh member (Para 45 - “…a wire mesh damper 10…”) and a soft filler (Para 46 - “…permeable damping member…into which fluid permeates…”) that fills voids (Para 46 - “…permeable damping member…into which fluid permeates…” (see Figs. 1 and 2)) in the mesh member (10)(see Figs. 1-2 and Para 46).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modeled the support of Fuji after the support of Tokunaga, thereby making the support of Fuji include a mesh member and a soft filler that fills voids in the mesh member, all in the way taught by Tokunaga, for the advantage of being able to reduce whirling (Para 45).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fuji (WO2015141506A1), as applied to claim 1 above, in view of Tokunaga et al. (U.S. 2020/0063871; hereinafter ‘3871).
PNG
media_image3.png
736
685
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Re claim 3:
Fuji discloses the shaft seal structure (110) of claim 1 (as described above).
Fuji fails to disclose wherein the support includes a cylindrical elastic member having a plurality of spring elements configured to receive the thin plate, and a soft filler that fills a gap between the elastic member and the housing and a gap between the elastic member and the thin plate.
‘3871 teaches wherein a support (10, multi-layered cylindrical body - Para 40 (see Figs. 1-3 and description at Paras 40-43)) includes a cylindrical elastic member (Para 40 - “…multi-layered cylindrical body 10 including a plurality of elastically deformable cylindrical thin plates 11…”) having a plurality of spring elements (11, plurality of elastically deformable cylindrical thin plates - Para 40) configured to receive a thin plate (5, floating ring - Para 27 (see Figs. 1-2)), and a soft filler (Para 26 - “…water, gas, oil, cryogenic fluid, or the like, which is sealed fluid…” and Para 45 - “…sealed fluid is present on opposite sides of the multi-layered cylindrical body…”) that fills a gap (Modified Fig. 2b above - A (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element A as a type of gap between element 2 and element 10; element A corresponds to a portion of “space 4” referenced in Para 28)) between the elastic member (10) and a housing (2, housing - Para 27) and a gap (Modified Fig. 2b above - B (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element B as a type of gap between element 5 and element 10; element A corresponds to a portion of “space 4” referenced in Para 28))) between the elastic member (10) and a thin plate (5)(see Modified Fig. 2b above, Figs. 1-3, Para 26 - “…water, gas, oil, cryogenic fluid, or the like, which is sealed fluid…” and Para 45 - “…sealed fluid is present on opposite sides of the multi-layered cylindrical body…”).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modeled the support of Fuji after the support of ‘3871, thereby making the support of Fuji include a cylindrical elastic member having a plurality of spring elements configured to receive the thin plate of Fuji, and a soft filler that fills a gap between this now included elastic member and the housing of Fuji and a gap between the now included elastic member and the thin plate of Fuji, all in the way taught by ‘3871, for the advantage of reducing vibration and whirling (‘3871; Para 40).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8 and 11-20 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.
Claims 9-10 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 9-10 are allowed and claims 5-8 and 11-20 would be allowed primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Additionally, the prior art of record does not teach wherein “a bearing arranged closer to a rotor of the electric motor than the shaft seal structure located between the compression mechanism and the bearing, the bearing rotatably supporting the shaft on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations in claims 5-8 and 11-20.
Additionally, the prior art of record does not teach wherein “a dynamic pressure groove being formed in an outer peripheral surface of the shaft facing the thin plate, and the dynamic pressure groove generates a dynamic pressure when gas flows from the rotor to the compression mechanism as the shaft rotates” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 9
Additionally, the prior art of record does not teach wherein “a dynamic pressure groove being formed in the inner peripheral surface of the thin plate, and the dynamic pressure groove generates a dynamic pressure when gas flows from the rotor to the compression mechanism as the shaft rotates” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 10
Therefore, the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by one or more references
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Loren C Edwards whose telephone number is (571)272-7133. The examiner can normally be reached M-R 6AM-430PM.
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, Mark Laurenzi can be reached at (571) 270-7878. 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.
/LOREN C EDWARDS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746 8/14/26
Prosecution Insights