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 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) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN112255111B (LIU).
Regarding claim 1, LIU disclose a method for scanning at least one component, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a storage vessel, wherein the storage vessel is configured to store a cryogenic material and the at least one component (31);
placing the at least one component inside the storage vessel (28);
filling the storage vessel with the cryogenic material up to a total predetermined volume, such that the at least one component is at least partially submerged in the cryogenic material (test subject immersed in liquid nitrogen cryogenic tank);
cooling, via the cryogenic material, the at least one component (test subject immersed in liquid nitrogen cryogenic tank);
providing a computed tomography scanner, wherein the CT scanner comprises an x-ray source and a detector (Fig. 4, 41 and 42);
placing the storage vessel (31) between the x-ray source and the detector (See Fig. 4);
generating, via the x-ray source, an x-ray cone beam after cooling of the at least one component, the x-ray cone beam passing through the storage vessel while the at least one component is disposed within the storage vessel (Fig. 4, “CT scanning”);
receiving the x-ray cone beam at the detector, wherein the detector is configured to generate an x-ray signal in response to receiving the x-ray cone beam (Fig. 4, “CT scanning”); and
generating an x-ray image of the at least one component based on the x-ray signal (Fig. 4, “CT scanning”).
Regarding claim 2, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, further comprising removing the cryogenic material from the storage vessel prior to generating the x-ray cone beam (Fig. 1, 4, and 7).
Regarding claim 3, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the x-ray cone beam passes through the storage vessel while the at least one component is being surrounded by the cryogenic material within the storage vessel (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 4, LIU disclose the method of claim 3, further comprising: removing the storage vessel from the CT scanner (Fig. 1, 4, and 7); removing the cryogenic material from the storage vessel (Fig. 1, 4, and 7); and removing the at least one component from the storage vessel after the at least one component attains a room temperature (Fig. 1, 4, and 7).
Regarding claim 5, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, wherein filling the storage vessel comprises progressively increasing a volume of the cryogenic material inside the storage vessel in a plurality of stages separated from each other by corresponding predetermined time durations (Fig 1, 4, and 7).
Regarding claim 6, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, wherein filling the storage vessel comprises the steps of: filling the storage vessel with the cryogenic material up to a first predetermined threshold volume (Fig. 1, 4, 7); keeping the storage vessel for a first predetermined period of time with the first predetermined threshold volume of the cryogenic material (Fig. 1, 4, 7); filling the storage vessel with the cryogenic material up to a second predetermined threshold volume (Fig. 1, 4, 7); keeping the storage vessel for a second predetermined period of time with the second predetermined threshold volume of the cryogenic material (Fig. 1, 4, 7); and filling the storage vessel with the cryogenic material up to the total predetermined volume (Fig. 1, 4, 7, filling the storage vessel is implicitly done incrementally over a time period).
Regarding claim 7, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, wherein filling the storage vessel further comprises regulating a flow of the cryogenic material into the storage vessel (Fig. 1, 4, and 7, implicit).
Regarding claim 8, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, wherein cooling the at least one component comprises keeping the storage vessel until a temperature of the at least one component is equal to a temperature of the cryogenic material prior to generating the x-ray cone beam (Fig. 1, 4, and 7, implicit).
Regarding claim 9, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, further comprising:
rotating the storage vessel about an axis of rotation after generating the x-ray image;
generating, via the x-ray source, at least one additional x-ray cone beam passing through the storage vessel while the at least one component is disposed within the storage vessel (Fig. 4);
receiving the at least one additional x-ray cone beam at the detector, wherein the detector is configured to generate at least one additional x-ray signal in response to receiving the at least one additional x-ray cone beam (Fig. 4); and
generating at least one additional x-ray image of the at least one component based on the at least one additional x-ray signal (“By measuring the test sample 28 under different loading conditions The three-dimensional digital volume image is analyzed and calculated, and the three-dimensional displacement field data and the three-dimensional strain field data can be further obtained. When the micro loading device carrying the tested sample 28 is placed inside the CT scanning imaging device for circular scanning, the hand wheel 6 installed at one end of the worm 7 must stop rotating, and the micro loading device is in a load holding state”).
Regarding claim 10, LIU disclose the method of claim 9, further comprising generating a 3D scan image of the at least one component based on the x-ray image and the at least one additional x-ray image (“By measuring the test sample 28 under different loading conditions The three-dimensional digital volume image is analyzed and calculated, and the three-dimensional displacement field data and the three-dimensional strain field data can be further obtained. When the micro loading device carrying the tested sample 28 is placed inside the CT scanning imaging device for circular scanning, the hand wheel 6 installed at one end of the worm 7 must stop rotating, and the micro loading device is in a load holding state”).
Regarding claim 11, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, wherein the cryogenic material is liquid nitrogen (“liquid nitrogen cryogenic tank 31”).
Regarding claim 13, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the storage vessel within an outer vessel (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 14, LIU disclose a system for scanning at least one component, the system comprising:
a computed tomography scanner comprising an x-ray source configured to generate an x-ray cone beam (41), and a detector configured to receive the x-ray cone beam and generate an x-ray signal in response to the reception of the x-ray cone beam (42); and
a storage vessel disposed between the x-ray source and the detector, the storage vessel receiving a cryogenic material therein, wherein the at least one component is at least partially submerged within the cryogenic material, such that the at least one component is cooled by the cryogenic material (31);
wherein the x-ray source generates the x-ray cone beam after the at least one component is cooled by the cryogenic material, and wherein the x-ray cone beam passes through the storage vessel while the at least one component is disposed within the storage vessel (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 15, LIU disclose the system of claim 14, wherein the cryogenic material is liquid nitrogen (“liquid nitrogen cryogenic tank 31”).
Regarding claim 16, LIU disclose the system of claim 14, wherein the storage vessel further comprises a vent for vapors of the cryogenic material.
Regarding claim 17, LIU disclose the system of claim 14, further comprising a reservoir for storing the cryogenic material, wherein the reservoir is disposed in fluid communication with the storage vessel.
Regarding claim 18, LIU disclose the system of claim 14, wherein the storage vessel is axisymmetric.
Regarding claim 19, LIU disclose the system of claim 14, further comprising an outer vessel receiving the storage vessel therein (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 20, LIU disclose the system of claim 14, wherein the at least one component is a turbine blade of a gas turbine engine. Please note that the claimed “turbine blade of a gas turbine engine” is drawn to an article worked upon by the claimed apparatus and does not limit the apparatus claim. See MPEP 2115.
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) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN112255111B (LIU).
Regarding claim 12, LIU disclose the method of claim 1, but is silent with respect to the object that is imaged by the system.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to apply the method disclosed by LIU to any object, including a turbine blade of a gas turbine engine. Applying a known technique to a known object. It would have been obvious to scan a different object by a applying a known technique to yield predictable results. See MPEP 2143.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANI FOX whose telephone number is (571)272-3513. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9-5.
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/DANI FOX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2884