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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 9 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected “II”, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/13/2025.
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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Borcea (US 20070234738) in view of Huber (US 3945390).
Regarding claim 1, Borcea (FIGs 1-4) discloses “A bleed valve assembly for a gas turbine engine (FIG 1), the bleed valve assembly comprising,
a manifold (130) coupled to a case (structure forming chambers for 132, 134, 136) of a compressor (132, 134, 136) of the gas turbine engine (FIG 1) to control a flow of bleed air exiting the compressor (to 140), the manifold having an outer surface (flange that connects to 140) defining an air passageway formed in the manifold for the bleed air to exit the compressor through the manifold (from 130 to 140 in FIG 3), wherein the air passageway defines a central axis (vertical axis in FIG 3) of the bleed valve assembly,
a valve housing (147) coupled with the manifold and configured to receive pressurized air,
a piston (100, 148) received in the valve housing and configured to move selectively relative to the valve housing and the manifold in response to the valve housing receiving the pressurized air to close the air passageway of the manifold (see FIGs 3-4)…”
Borcea is silent regarding “and a valve seal coupled with the manifold and arranged around the air passageway, the valve seal being configured to compress axially between the piston and the outer surface of the manifold in response to the piston moving axially downward to a closed position to provide a seal between the piston and the manifold so that the bleed air is blocked from flowing between the piston and the outer surface of the manifold.” Instead a sealing surface 152 formed monolithically with the manifold operates as a valve seal.
However, Huber (FIGs 1-2) teaches it is known in the art of reciprocating poppet valves (analogous to Borcea) to utilize a thin walled sheet metal seal insert 2 coupled to an inflow passage and surface (analogous to “manifold”), the insert configured to deflect (downward from FIG 2) when the poppet moves toward the seal and manifold and form a fluid seal (Column 2 lines 28-47).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date, to modify the valve and valve seating structure of Borcea with the sealing mechanism of Huber, such that the combination teaches “and a valve seal coupled with the manifold and arranged around the air passageway, the valve seal being configured to compress axially between the piston and the outer surface of the manifold in response to the piston moving axially downward to a closed position to provide a seal between the piston and the manifold so that the bleed air is blocked from flowing between the piston and the outer surface of the manifold”, to provide a seat seal that is separable for ease of replacement, with the added feature of compensation for temperature changes and surface imperfections.
Regarding claim 2, Huber (FIGs 1-2) as applied to claim 1 further teaches “wherein the valve seal (2) comprises sheet metal (Column 5 line 19) configured to conform to a bottom surface of the piston (FIGs 1-2) and the outer surface of the manifold (upward facing surface of 1, which corresponds to the upward facing surface of 130 structure of Borcea FIG 3) when the piston is in the closed position.”
Regarding claim 3, Huber (FIGs 1-2) as applied to claim 1 further teaches “wherein the valve seal has a radial length (diameter of 2 at outermost 15) that is greater than a radial length of a bottom surface of the piston (diameter of 6 at 11).”
Regarding claim 4, Huber (FIGs 1-2) as applied to claim 1 further teaches “wherein the manifold further includes an intermediate surface (groove for 3) spaced axially downward from the outer surface (surface that abuts 5) and an axially-extending wall (where 2 is pointing in FIG 1) interconnecting the outer surface and intermediate surface (see FIG 1).”
Regarding claim 5, Huber (FIGs 1-2) as applied to claim 1 further teaches “wherein the valve seal is arranged to extend along the outer surface, the axially-extending wall, and the intermediate surface (see FIGs 1-2).”
Regarding claim 6, Huber (FIGs 1-2) as applied to claim 1 further teaches “further including at least one fastener (3 seen to read on a “fastener” as it secures 2 to 1) that couples the valve housing to the outer surface of the manifold (2 is coupled to 1, including along the outer surface of 1; claim not seen to require the fastener to be directly abutting the outer surface).”
Regarding claim 7, Huber (FIGs 1-2) as applied to claim 1 further teaches “wherein the valve seal is formed to include a raised ridge portion (15) that extends away from at least a portion of the manifold in response to the piston being in the open position (deflected upward in FIG 2) and compresses toward the manifold in response to the piston being in the closed position and the piston applying a force to the raised ridge portion (would deflect downward upon a downward force of 6; Column 2 lines 28-47).”
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Borcea/Huber in view of Liu (US 6122905).
Regarding claim 8, Borcea is further silent regarding “further comprising an air collector arranged axially between the housing mount and the manifold to collect the bleed air that exits through the air passageway when the piston is in the open position.” In Borcea the air passing through the valve directly exits the system.
However, Liu (FIGs 1-2) teaches a compressor bleed valve (analogous to Borcea) having a housing 32 and manifold 42/52, and a duct 21 (read as “air collector” as it is configured to contain a volume of air) located between the housing and manifold, the duct configured to contain a volume of air and direct it (including when the valve is open) away from the compressor (analogous to 140 of Borcea).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date, to modify the system of Borcea to have the outbound air duct assembly of Liu instead of a dump-out opening, such that the combination teaches “an air collector arranged axially between the housing mount and the manifold to collect the bleed air that exits through the air passageway when the piston is in the open position”, to provide an enclosure that directs the bleed air to a desired destination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Devices similar to the application are disclosed by Schlarman et al (US 20170101937), Kelly et al (US 11193427), and Makuszewski (US 7540144), .
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK C WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)431-0767. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:00 PM.
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, Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881. 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.
/PATRICK C WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753