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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 4 and 7 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.
Claims 4 and 7 recite the limitation "said base plate." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102/103
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.
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.
Claims 1, 13 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Kapteijn US 9,611,010.
Regarding claims 1 and 13, Kapteijn discloses a method for providing a hull of a vessel with bubble generators for reducing the drag of the hull, wherein said method comprises the following steps:
providing at least one elongated slot (the cavity in which the bubble generator lies) in the hull 201, 202 (the apparatus being considered part of the hull), said slot having a length extending in a lateral direction of the vessel and a width extending perpendicular thereto;
providing a multitude of bubble generator units 215, each of said multitude of bubble generator units having an inlet opening 214 for supplying air and a bottom surface with at least one outlet opening 203, 204 for discharging air bubbles; and
mounting said multitude of bubble generator units in said slot in a side by side manner along the length of said slot such that said slot is filled and substantially closed off by said bubble generator units, and such that said inlet openings of said bubble generator units face the interior of the hull (as it is within device 202) and the bottom surfaces with the outlet openings of said bubble generator units face the exterior of the hull.
In an alternate interpretation, the inlet openings of said bubble generator units do not face the interior of the hull, however it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to face the inlets toward the interior of the hull in order to simplify manufacturing/maintenance or obtain the desired form factor, since it has been held that a mere reversal of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. In re Einstein, 8 USPQ 167.
Regarding claim 14, Kapteijn discloses/teaches the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 13. Kapteijn also teaches that the vessel is a self-propelled ship or a vessel which is to be towed by another vessel.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kapteijn US 9,611,010 in view of Takahashi US 7,677,191.
Regarding claims 1 and 13, Kapteijn teaches a method for providing a hull of a vessel with bubble generators for reducing the drag of the hull, wherein said method comprises the following steps:
providing at least one elongated slot (the cavity in which the bubble generator lies) on the hull 201, 202, said slot having a length extending in a lateral direction of the vessel and a width extending perpendicular thereto;
providing a multitude of bubble generator units 215, each of said multitude of bubble generator units having an inlet opening 214 for supplying air and a bottom surface with at least one outlet opening 203, 204 for discharging air bubbles; and
mounting said multitude of bubble generator units in said slot in a side-by-side manner along the length of said slot such that said slot is filled and substantially closed off by said bubble generator units, and such that the bottom surfaces with the outlet openings of said bubble generator units face the exterior of the hull.
PNG
media_image1.png
168
441
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Figure 1- Kapteijn Figure 2
Kapteijn does not teach providing the least one elongated slot directly in the hull, such that said inlet openings of said bubble generator units face the interior of the hull. Takahashi teaches a method for providing a hull of a vessel with bubble generators for reducing the drag of the hull, wherein said method comprises the following steps:
[AltContent: textbox (Figure 2- Takahashi Figure 7)]
PNG
media_image2.png
333
216
media_image2.png
Greyscale
providing at least one elongated slot 7 in the hull 1, said slot having a length extending in a lateral direction of the vessel and a width extending perpendicular thereto;
providing a multitude of bubble generator units 10, each of said multitude of bubble generator units having an inlet opening 6 for supplying air and a bottom surface with at least one outlet opening 12 for discharging air bubbles; and
mounting said multitude of bubble generator units in said slot such that said slot is filled and substantially closed off by said bubble generator units, and such that said inlet openings of said bubble generator units face the interior of the hull and the bottom surfaces with the outlet openings of said bubble generator units face the exterior of the hull.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the bubble generators Kapteijn by locating them in a slot on the hull (and facing the inlet inward) as taught by Takahashi in order to permanently install them and reduce the chance of system loss, and to reduce drag produced by the system.
Regarding claim 2, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 1. Takahashi also teaches that the bubble generator units 10 are mounted in said slots by a mount 11, said mount being fixed to the longitudinal edges of said slot along the entire length thereof, and wherein said bubble generator units are mounted to said mount in a releasable manner (by bolts, column 5 line 63- column 6, line 3). Note that as modified, the outside of Takahashi’s bubble generator is considered the mount, while Kapteijn’s bubble generator would be placed inside.
PNG
media_image3.png
175
417
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Figure 3- Takahashi Figure 8
Regarding claim 3, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 2. Takahashi also teaches that the mount comprises at least one mounting block 11, each mounting block comprising a base plate arranged to cover the width of the slot 7, and a first end wall and a second end wall which extend from the outer lateral ends of the base plate 14, wherein the end walls are fixed to the lateral edges of the slot, said at least one mounting block forming a substantially U-shaped channel in said slot in which the bubble generator units are mounted, such that the bottom surface of the bubble generator units are substantially flush with the exterior surface of the hull 1. Note that as modified, the outside of Takahashi’s bubble generator is considered the mount, while Kapteijn’s bubble generator would be placed inside.
Regarding claims 4 and 15, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claims 2 and 3. Takahashi also teaches that the interior surface of said base plate 14 of said mounting block 11 extends in a plane which is at a distance from the interior surface of the hull 1 in the interior direction thereof. If applicant disagrees, then it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to recess the base plate further into the hull in order to provide more space for the bubble generator, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claims 5, 16 and 17, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claims 2, 3 and 4. Kapteijn and Takahashi also teach that the mount is provided with inlet channels 206/6 corresponding and in communication with one of each inlet opening of the bubble generator units 215.
Regarding claim 6, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 5. Neither Kapteijn nor Takahashi teach that the inlet openings of the bubble generator units are formed by inlet tube ends which extend at a lateral side of the bubble generator units, the inlet tube ends being inserted in openings of the inlet channels which extend in corresponding side walls of the mounting blocks. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to form the inlet tubes in the side wall in order to make them more easily accessible during installation and maintenance or to obtain the desired form factor, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claims 7, 18, 19 and 20, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claims 2, 3, 4 and 5. Takahashi also teaches that the bubble generator units 10 are provided with a stepped or sloping protrusion 11 at one side, and said mount comprises locking elements (bolts) arranged to engage the protrusion, and provided with fasteners for fixing the locking elements to the base plate. In this case Takahashi teaches bolting the flange of the mounting block to the hull. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the bubble generators Kapteijn by using the mounting structure as taught by Takahashi (for mounting the mount to the hull) in order to fix the bubble generators to the mount in order to securely retain the entire system while allowing for disassembly and maintenance.
Regarding claim 8, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 1. Kapteijn also teaches the step of providing an air channel 206 in the interior of said hull to each of said inlet openings for providing air to each of said bubble generator units 215. Alternatively, Takahashi also teaches the step of providing an air channel 6 in the interior of said hull to each of said inlet openings for providing air to each of said bubble generator units 10.
Regarding claim 9, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 8. Kapteijn also teaches that said air channel 206 is connected to a source of pressurized air (column 6, line 57- column 7, line 3).
Regarding claim 10, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 8. Kapteijn also teaches that said air channel 206 is formed by a bent wall which covers the interior side of the slot and the bubble generator units therein, and wherein the lateral edges of the bent wall are connected to the interior surface of the hull. Alternatively, Takahashi also teaches that said air channel 6 is formed by a bent wall which (at least partially) covers the interior side of the slot 7 and the bubble generator units therein, and wherein the lateral edges of the bent wall are connected to the interior surface of the hull (as everything is connected). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the bubble generators Kapteijn with the inlet channel as taught by Takahashi in order to ensure that the generators are properly supplied with air. If applicant disagrees, then it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to arrange the air channel wherever it was desired in order to obtain the desired air flow or form factor, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 11, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 1. Kapteijn also teaches that the height of the bubble generator units 215 is substantially smaller than the width of the slot. If applicant disagrees, then it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the generator units smaller than the slot in order to ease handling and/or installation, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding claim 12, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 1. Kapteijn also teaches that the bubble generator units 215 are fluidic oscillators for generating one or more pulsating air flows from a constant air flow (column 8 line 67- column 9, line 3).
Regarding claim 14, Kapteijn and Takahashi teach the invention as claimed as detailed above with respect to claim 13. Kapteijn also teaches that the vessel is a self-propelled ship or a vessel which is to be towed by another vessel (please note that any vessel is self-propelled and/or towed).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Spinanger US 2,145,463, Takano US 2016/0185423 and Harbin US 8,677,918 teach bubble generators recessed into a slot on watercraft hulls.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Marc Burgess whose telephone number is (571)272-9385. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 08:30-15:00.
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, Marc Jimenez can be reached at 517 272-4530. 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.
/MARC BURGESS/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615
Prosecution Insights