DETAILED ACTION
This is in response to the Request for Continued Examination filed 9/9/2025 wherein claim 2 has been canceled and claims 1 and 3-17 are presented for examination.
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 .
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 9/9/2025 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1, 3, and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mawatari et al. (US 2010/0170260) in view of Wada et al. (US 2021/0108797), Yasuhiro et al. (JP 2021046951), and Urono et al. (US 2020/0200389).
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Mawatari teaches (Figures 1-12c) a gas turbine combustor (1) comprising:
a combustion cylinder (2) which includes a combustion chamber (8) inside and in which a plurality of through-holes (16) open to the combustion chamber (8) are formed (see Figures 3-5);
a housing (5) that is disposed on an outer peripheral side (a side of 2 facing away from 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) and that defines an acoustic attenuation space (within 5; see Figures 3-5) that communicates with the combustion chamber (8) via the plurality of through-holes (16);
a plurality of fuel nozzles (14) that correspond to a plurality of extension tubes (15);
an air passage (28a; see Figure 3) that is provided between an inner peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing toward 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) and an outer peripheral surface (the outer surface of 15; see Figure 3) of the extension tubes (15) and that extends in an axial direction (see Figures 2-3) of the combustion cylinder (2); and
an air supply flow path (32) for supplying air (via 41, 43) flowing on the outer peripheral side (a side of 2 facing away from 8) of the combustion cylinder (2) to the acoustic attenuation space (5);
wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes (16) is provided directly below the plurality of extension tubes (15) in the axial direction (see Figures 2-3).
Mawatari also teaches (see Figures 3-5) that the housing (5) is positioned downstream of (see Figures 3-5) the downstream end (the downstream end of 23; see Figures 3-5) of the air passage (28a).
Mawatari does not teach an air hole plate in which a plurality of air holes are formed and which is positioned on an upstream side of the combustion cylinder relative to a flow of combustion gas through the combustion cylinder, the plurality of fuel nozzles correspond to the plurality of air holes, respectively, or wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided in a region upstream in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame formed in the combustion chamber, wherein the combustion cylinder includes a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end of the air passage, wherein the housing is positioned downstream of the welded portion in a flow direction of combustion gas.
Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) an air hole plate (the plate forming holes 54, 64; see Figure 7) in which a plurality of air holes (54, 64) are formed (see Figure 7) and which is positioned on an upstream side (with respect to a flow of combustion gases 9; see Figures 1 and 7) of the combustion cylinder (7) relative to a flow of combustion gas (9) through the combustion cylinder (7), a plurality of fuel nozzles (53, 63) that correspond to the plurality of air holes (54, 64), respectively (see Figure 7), and wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes (the upstream-most hole 73; see Figure 7) is provided directly below the air hole plate (the plate forming holes 54, 64) in the axial direction (see Figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari to have an air hole plate in which a plurality of air holes are formed and which is positioned on an upstream side of the combustion cylinder, the plurality of fuel nozzles correspond to the plurality of air holes, respectively, or wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided directly below the air hole plate in the axial direction, as taught by Wada, in order to make it possible to accelerate the mixture at a shorter mixing distance, lower the concentration of discharged nitrogen oxides (Paragraph 0121 of Wada). It is further noted that a simple substitution of one known element (in this case, the fuel nozzles and extension tubes as taught by Mawatari) for another (in this case, the fuel nozzles and air hole plate as taught by Wada) to obtain predictable results (in this case, to disperse fuel to be mixed with compressed air) was an obvious extension of prior art teachings, KSR, 550 U.S. at 415-421, 82 USPQ2d at 1396, MPEP 2141 III B. Although Mawatari teaches (see Figures 3-5) that the housing (5) is positioned downstream of (see Figures 3-5) the downstream end (the downstream end of 23; see Figures 3-5) of the air passage (28a), Mawatari in view of Wada does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided in a region upstream in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame formed in the combustion chamber, wherein the combustion cylinder includes a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end of the air passage, wherein the housing is positioned downstream of the welded portion in a flow direction of combustion gas.
Yasuhiro teaches (Figures 1-8) a plurality of through holes (90) that are provided in a region upstream (see Figure 6) in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame (83) formed in the combustion chamber (5).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada to have at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided in a region upstream in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame formed in the combustion chamber, as taught by Yasuhiro, in order to change the frequency band of the pressure fluctuations that can be attenuated so that a wide band of combustion vibrations can be handled (Paragraph 0064 of Yasuhiro). In addition, it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). Mawatari in view of Wada and Yasuhiro does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the combustion cylinder includes a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end of the air passage, wherein the housing is positioned downstream of the welded portion in a flow direction of combustion gas.
Urono teaches (Figures 1-12) wherein the combustion cylinder (11) includes a combustion cylinder body (11b) that forms the combustion chamber (11a), and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter (30, 11c) that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side (the upstream end of 11b; see Figure 7) of the combustion cylinder body (11b) by a welding portion (Paragraph 0063), and the welded portion (between 11b and 11c; see Figure 7 and Paragraph 0063) is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end (the downstream end of 16b; see Figure 7) of the air passage (between 11 and 16b; see Figure 7), wherein the downstream end (the downstream end of 16b; see Figure 7) of the air passage (between 11 and 16b; see Figure 7) is positioned downstream of (see Figure 7) the welded portion (between 11b and 11c; see Figure 7 and Paragraph 0063) in a flow direction of combustion gas (through 11a).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada and Yasuhiro to have the combustion cylinder include a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned on an upstream side with respect to an axial downstream end of the air passage, wherein the downstream end of the air passage is positioned downstream of the welded portion in a flow direction of combustion gas, as taught by Urono, in order to adjust the length of the inner cylinder so that the cooling air holes are positioned on a turbine side of a spring seal and in order to efficiently manufacture the gas turbine combustor (Paragraphs 0063-0064 of Urono).
As discussed above, Mawatari teaches (see Figures 3-5) that the housing (5) is positioned downstream of (see Figures 3-5) the downstream end (the downstream end of 23; see Figures 3-5) of the air passage (28a). Therefore, the location of the housing on the proposed combination of Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono would necessarily be positioned downstream of the welded portion in a flow direction of the combustion gas.
Regarding Claim 3, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari further teaches (Figures 1-12c) an annular cavity (at 28) that is formed between the inner peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing toward 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) and the outer peripheral surface (the outer surface of 15; see Figure 3) of the extension tubes (15) and that extends in a circumferential direction (space 28 is an annular space about the central axis S; see Paragraph 0047) of the combustion cylinder (2), wherein the air passage (28a) is connected to the annular cavity (28) at an upstream end (see Figure 3) of the air passage (28a).
As discussed above, Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) an air hole plate (the plate forming holes 54, 64; see Figure 7) in which a plurality of air holes (54, 64) are formed (see Figure 7) and which is positioned on an upstream side (with respect to a flow of combustion gases 9; see Figures 1 and 7) of the combustion cylinder (7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono to have an air hole plate in which a plurality of air holes are formed and which is positioned on an upstream side of the combustion cylinder, as taught by Wada, for the same reasons discussed above in claim 1.
Regarding Claim 6, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari further teaches (Figures 1-12c) wherein the combustion cylinder (2) is formed with a plurality of cooling passages (31; see Figures 3 and 7) that extend along the axial direction inside walls (2) configuring the combustion cylinder (2) and that are separated from each other along a circumferential direction (see Figure 3) of the combustion cylinder (2), and each cooling passage of the plurality of cooling passages (31; see Figures 3 and 7) includes an inlet opening (41) that is open to an outer peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing away from 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) on an axial downstream side (see Figure 4) with respect to the housing (5) and an outlet opening (42) that is open to the outer peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing away from 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (1) to face the acoustic attenuation space (5) so as to configure the air supply flow path (32).
Regarding Claim 7, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the housing has a housing through-hole that penetrates the housing and that configures the air supply flow path.
Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) an air supply flow path (5, through 74, to 72) for supplying air (5) flowing on an outer side (7a) of the combustion cylinder (7) to the acoustic attenuation space (72), wherein the housing (71) has a housing through-hole (74) that penetrates the housing (71) and that configures the air supply flow path (5, through 74, to 72).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono to have the air supply flow path for supplying air flowing on an outer side of the combustion cylinder to the acoustic attenuation space, wherein the housing has a housing through-hole that penetrates the housing and that configured the air supply flow path, as taught by Wada, in order to introduce compressed air into the space to prevent intrusion of the flame into the space (Paragraph 0043 of Wada).
Regarding Claim 8, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the gas turbine combustor is a hydrogen-exclusive combustor.
Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) a gas turbine combustor (3) which uses hydrogen as fuel (Paragraph 0121).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono to have the gas turbine combustor use hydrogen as fuel, as taught by Wada, in order to make it possible to burn the fuel at high speeds and likely to cause a phenomenon of counter-current flow of the flame (Paragraph 0121 of Wada). It is noted that the actions of the fluid are intended use recitations – “inclusion of material or article worked upon by a structure being claimed does not impart patentability to the claims” (MPEP 2115 [R-2]). In this case, the fuel is considered the material or article worked upon and does not impart patentability to the claims.
Regarding Claim 9, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari further teaches (Figures 1-12c) a gas turbine (see Figure 1 and Paragraph 0042) comprising: a compressor that generates compressed air (not shown; see Paragraph 0042); the gas turbine combustor according to claim 1 (as discussed in claim 1 above); and a turbine (not shown; see Paragraph 0042) that is rotationally driven by combustion gas generated by the gas turbine combustor (1; see Paragraph 0042).
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mawatari et al. (US 2010/0170260) in view of Wada et al. (US 2021/0108797), Yasuhiro et al. (JP 2021046951), and Urono et al. (US 2020/0200389) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Caruel et al. (US 3,811,276).
Regarding Claim 4, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari further teaches (Figures 1-12c) that the air passage (28a) is an annular passage (Paragraph 0047) that extends in a circumferential direction of the combustion cylinder (2) and includes a first region (an upstream side of 28a) and a second region (a downstream side of 28a), the second region (a downstream side of 28a) positioned on an axial downstream side with respect to the first region (see Figure 3), wherein the height of the air passage (28a) is defined by the height of the combustion cylinder (2) in a radial direction (see Figure 3). Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono does not teach, as discussed so far, a height of the combustion cylinder in a radial direction in the second region is greater than a height of the combustion cylinder in the radial direction in the first region.
Caruel teaches (Figures 1-9) that a height (d2) of a combustion cylinder (16) in a radial direction in a downstream region (24) is greater than a height (d1) of the combustion cylinder (16) in the radial direction in an upstream region (22).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada and Yasuhiro to have the a height of the combustion cylinder in a radial direction in the second region is greater than a height of the combustion cylinder in the radial direction in the first region, as taught by Caruel, in order to produce graduated losses of pressure which give rise to a less pronounced degree of turbulence, which makes it possible to render the film of air homogeneous (Column 4, lines 31-55 of Caruel).
Regarding Claim 5, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Urono, and Caruel teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Urono, and Caruel does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the welded portion is positioned within an extending range of the second region in the axial direction.
Urono teaches (Figures 1-12) wherein the combustion cylinder (11) includes a combustion cylinder body (11b) that forms the combustion chamber (11a), and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter (30, 11c) connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side (the upstream end of 11b; see Figure 7) of the combustion cylinder body (11b) by a welding portion (Paragraph 0063), and the welded portion (between 11b and 11c; see Figure 7 and Paragraph 0063) is positioned within an extending range of the downstream region of the air passage in the downstream direction (between 11 and 16b; see Figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Urono, and Caruel to have the welded portion is positioned within an extending range of the second region in the axial direction, as taught by Urono, in order to adjust the length of the inner cylinder so that the cooling air holes are positioned on a turbine side of a spring seal and in order to efficiently manufacture the gas turbine combustor (Paragraphs 0063-0064 of Urono).
Claims 10, 12, and 14-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mawatari et al. (US 2010/0170260) in view of Wada et al. (US 2021/0108797), Yasuhiro et al. (JP 2021046951), Caruel et al. (US 3,811,276), and Sato et al. (US 6,282,905).
Regarding Independent Claim 10, Mawatari teaches (Figures 1-12c) a gas turbine combustor (1) comprising:
a combustion cylinder (2) which includes a combustion chamber (8) inside and in which a plurality of through-holes (16) open to the combustion chamber (8) are formed (see Figures 3-5);
a housing (5) that is disposed on an outer peripheral side (a side of 2 facing away from 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) and that defines an acoustic attenuation space (within 5; see Figures 3-5) that communicates with the combustion chamber (8) via the plurality of through-holes (16);
a plurality of fuel nozzles (14) that correspond to a plurality of extension tubes (15);
an air passage (28a; see Figure 3) that is provided between an inner peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing toward 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) and an outer peripheral surface (the outer surface of 15; see Figure 3) of the extension tubes (15) and that extends in an axial direction (see Figures 2-3) of the combustion cylinder (2), wherein the inner peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing toward 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) and an outer peripheral surface (the outer surface of 15; see Figure 3) of the extension tubes (15) directly face each other (see Figures 3-5) across the air passage (28a; see Figure 3); and
an air supply flow path (32) for supplying air (via 41, 43) flowing on the outer peripheral side (a side of 2 facing away from 8) of the combustion cylinder (2) to the acoustic attenuation space (5);
wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes (16) is provided directly below the plurality of extension tubes (15) in the axial direction (see Figures 2-3),
wherein the air passage (28a) is an annular passage (Paragraph 0047) that extends in a circumferential direction of the combustion cylinder (2) and includes a first region (an upstream side of 28a) and a second region (a downstream side of 28a), the second region (a downstream side of 28a) positioned on an axial downstream side with respect to the first region (see Figure 3),
wherein the height of the air passage (28a) is defined by the height of the combustion cylinder (2) in a radial direction (see Figure 3).
Mawatari does not teach an air hole plate in which a plurality of air holes are formed and which is positioned on an upstream side of the combustion cylinder relative to a flow of combustion gas through the combustion cylinder, the plurality of fuel nozzles correspond to the plurality of air holes, respectively, or wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided in a region upstream in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame formed in the combustion chamber, wherein the combustion cylinder includes a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end of the air passage, wherein a height of the combustion cylinder in a radial direction in the second region is greater than a height of the combustion cylinder in the radial direction in the first region, and wherein a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the second region is equal to a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the first region.
Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) an air hole plate (the plate forming holes 54, 64; see Figure 7) in which a plurality of air holes (54, 64) are formed (see Figure 7) and which is positioned on an upstream side (with respect to a flow of combustion gases 9; see Figures 1 and 7) of the combustion cylinder (7) relative to a flow of combustion gas (9) through the combustion cylinder (7), a plurality of fuel nozzles (53, 63) that correspond to the plurality of air holes (54, 64), respectively (see Figure 7), and wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes (the upstream-most hole 73; see Figure 7) is provided directly below the air hole plate (the plate forming holes 54, 64) in the axial direction (see Figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari to have an air hole plate in which a plurality of air holes are formed and which is positioned on an upstream side of the combustion cylinder, the plurality of fuel nozzles correspond to the plurality of air holes, respectively, or wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided directly below the air hole plate in the axial direction, as taught by Wada, in order to make it possible to accelerate the mixture at a shorter mixing distance, lower the concentration of discharged nitrogen oxides (Paragraph 0121 of Wada). It is further noted that a simple substitution of one known element (in this case, the fuel nozzles and extension tubes as taught by Mawatari) for another (in this case, the fuel nozzles and air hole plate as taught by Wada) to obtain predictable results (in this case, to disperse fuel to be mixed with compressed air) was an obvious extension of prior art teachings, KSR, 550 U.S. at 415-421, 82 USPQ2d at 1396, MPEP 2141 III B. Although Mawatari teaches (see Figures 3-5) that the housing (5) is positioned downstream of (see Figures 3-5) the downstream end (the downstream end of 23; see Figures 3-5) of the air passage (28a), Mawatari in view of Wada does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided in a region upstream in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame formed in the combustion chamber, wherein the combustion cylinder includes a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end of the air passage, wherein a height of the combustion cylinder in a radial direction in the second region is greater than a height of the combustion cylinder in the radial direction in the first region, and wherein a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the second region is equal to a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the first region.
Yasuhiro teaches (Figures 1-8) a plurality of through holes (90) that are provided in a region upstream (see Figure 6) in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame (83) formed in the combustion chamber (5).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada to have at least one of the plurality of through-holes is provided in a region upstream in the axial direction relative to a reaction zone of a flame formed in the combustion chamber, as taught by Yasuhiro, in order to change the frequency band of the pressure fluctuations that can be attenuated so that a wide band of combustion vibrations can be handled (Paragraph 0064 of Yasuhiro). In addition, it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). Mawatari in view of Wada and Yasuhiro does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein a height of the combustion cylinder in a radial direction in the second region is greater than a height of the combustion cylinder in the radial direction in the first region, and wherein a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the second region is equal to a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the first region.
Caruel teaches (Figures 1-9) that a height (d2) of a combustion cylinder (16) in a radial direction in a downstream region (24) is greater than a height (d1) of the combustion cylinder (16) in the radial direction in an upstream region (22).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada and Yasuhiro to have the a height of the combustion cylinder in a radial direction in the second region is greater than a height of the combustion cylinder in the radial direction in the first region, as taught by Caruel, in order to produce graduated losses of pressure which give rise to a less pronounced degree of turbulence, which makes it possible to render the film of air homogeneous (Column 4, lines 31-55 of Caruel). Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Caruel does not teach that a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the second region is equal to a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the air hole plate in the first region.
Sato teaches (Figures 1-20) a radial height (see Figures 2A-2C) of an outer peripheral surface (the surface of plate 4 facing plate 1; see Figures 2A-2C) of an inner plate (4) in a downstream region (a downstream region of plate 4 with respect to the flow of air flowing through groove 2a; see Figures 2B-2C) is equal to a radial height (see Figures 2A-2C) of an outer peripheral surface (the surface of plate 4 facing plate 1; see Figures 2A-2C) of the inner plate (4) in an upstream region (an upstream region of plate 4 with respect to the flow of air flowing through groove 2a; see Figures 2B-2C).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Caruel to have the radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the inner plate in the second region be equal to a radial height of the outer peripheral surface of the inner plate in the first region, as taught by Sato, in order to change the shape of the groove to be designed so that the flow velocity and pressure loss of cooling air flowing in the groove may be adjustable according to the position and by setting the flow velocity and pressure loss to appropriate values according to the distribution state of temperature and thermal stress in the tube (Column 10, lines 54-64 of Sato). It is further noted that a simple substitution of one known element (in this case, the cooling hole geometry of Sato) for another (in this case, the cooling hole geometry of Caruel) to obtain predictable results (in this case, achieve a desired flow velocity and pressure loss) was an obvious extension of prior art teachings, KSR, 550 U.S. at 415-421, 82 USPQ2d at 1396, MPEP 2141 III B.
Regarding Claim 12, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari further teaches (Figures 1-12c) an annular cavity (at 28) that is formed between the inner peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing toward 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) and the outer peripheral surface (the outer surface of 15; see Figure 3) of the extension tubes (15) and that extends in a circumferential direction (space 28 is an annular space about the central axis S; see Paragraph 0047) of the combustion cylinder (2), wherein the air passage (28a) is connected to the annular cavity (28) at an upstream end (see Figure 3) of the air passage (28a).
As discussed above, Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) an air hole plate (the plate forming holes 54, 64; see Figure 7) in which a plurality of air holes (54, 64) are formed (see Figure 7) and which is positioned on an upstream side (with respect to a flow of combustion gases 9; see Figures 1 and 7) of the combustion cylinder (7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato to have an air hole plate in which a plurality of air holes are formed and which is positioned on an upstream side of the combustion cylinder, as taught by Wada, for the same reasons discussed above in claim 10.
Regarding Claim 14, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari further teaches (Figures 1-12c) wherein the combustion cylinder (2) is formed with a plurality of cooling passages (31; see Figures 3 and 7) that extend along the axial direction inside walls (2) configuring the combustion cylinder (2) and that are separated from each other along a circumferential direction (see Figure 3) of the combustion cylinder (2), and each cooling passage of the plurality of cooling passages (31; see Figures 3 and 7) includes an inlet opening (41) that is open to an outer peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing away from 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (2) on an axial downstream side (see Figure 4) with respect to the housing (5) and an outlet opening (42) that is open to the outer peripheral surface (a side of 2 facing away from 8; see Figures 2-5) of the combustion cylinder (1) to face the acoustic attenuation space (5) so as to configure the air supply flow path (32).
Regarding Claim 15, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the housing has a housing through-hole that penetrates the housing and that configures the air supply flow path.
Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) an air supply flow path (5, through 74, to 72) for supplying air (5) flowing on an outer side (7a) of the combustion cylinder (7) to the acoustic attenuation space (72), wherein the housing (71) has a housing through-hole (74) that penetrates the housing (71) and that configures the air supply flow path (5, through 74, to 72).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato to have the air supply flow path for supplying air flowing on an outer side of the combustion cylinder to the acoustic attenuation space, wherein the housing has a housing through-hole that penetrates the housing and that configured the air supply flow path, as taught by Wada, in order to introduce compressed air into the space to prevent intrusion of the flame into the space (Paragraph 0043 of Wada).
Regarding Claim 16, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the gas turbine combustor is a hydrogen-exclusive combustor.
Wada teaches (Figures 1-10) a gas turbine combustor (3) which uses hydrogen as fuel (Paragraph 0121).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato to have the gas turbine combustor use hydrogen as fuel, as taught by Wada, in order to make it possible to burn the fuel at high speeds and likely to cause a phenomenon of counter-current flow of the flame (Paragraph 0121 of Wada). It is noted that the actions of the fluid are intended use recitations – “inclusion of material or article worked upon by a structure being claimed does not impart patentability to the claims” (MPEP 2115 [R-2]). In this case, the fuel is considered the material or article worked upon and does not impart patentability to the claims.
Regarding Claim 17, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari further teaches (Figures 1-12c) a gas turbine (see Figure 1 and Paragraph 0042) comprising: a compressor that generates compressed air (not shown; see Paragraph 0042); the gas turbine combustor according to claim 1 (as discussed in claim 1 above); and a turbine (not shown; see Paragraph 0042) that is rotationally driven by combustion gas generated by the gas turbine combustor (1; see Paragraph 0042).
Claims 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mawatari et al. (US 2010/0170260) in view of Wada et al. (US 2021/0108797), Yasuhiro et al. (JP 2021046951), Caruel et al. (US 3,811,276), and Sato et al. (US 6,282,905) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of and Urono et al. (US 2020/0200389).
Regarding Claim 11, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the combustion cylinder includes a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end of the air passage.
Urono teaches (Figures 1-12) wherein the combustion cylinder (11) includes a combustion cylinder body (11b) that forms the combustion chamber (11a), and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter (30, 11c) that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side (the upstream end of 11b; see Figure 7) of the combustion cylinder body (11b) by a welding portion (Paragraph 0063), and the welded portion (between 11b and 11c; see Figure 7 and Paragraph 0063) is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end (the downstream end of 16b; see Figure 7) of the air passage (between 11 and 16b; see Figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada and Yasuhiro to have the combustion cylinder include a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, and the welded portion is positioned on an upstream side with respect to an axial downstream end of the air passage, as taught by Urono, in order to adjust the length of the inner cylinder so that the cooling air holes are positioned on a turbine side of a spring seal and in order to efficiently manufacture the gas turbine combustor (Paragraphs 0063-0064 of Urono).
Regarding Claim 13, Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato teaches the invention as claimed and as discussed above. Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato does not teach, as discussed so far, wherein the combustion cylinder includes a combustion cylinder body that forms the combustion chamber, and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side of the combustion cylinder body by a welded portion, wherein the welded portion is positioned within an extending range of the second region in the axial direction.
Urono teaches (Figures 1-12) wherein the combustion cylinder (11) includes a combustion cylinder body (11b) that forms the combustion chamber (11a), and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter (30, 11c) connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side (the upstream end of 11b; see Figure 7) of the combustion cylinder body (11b) by a welding portion (Paragraph 0063), and the welded portion (between 11b and 11c; see Figure 7 and Paragraph 0063) is positioned within an extending range of the downstream region of the air passage in the downstream direction (between 11 and 16b; see Figure 7).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, Caruel, and Sato to have the welded portion is positioned within an extending range of the second region in the axial direction, as taught by Urono, in order to adjust the length of the inner cylinder so that the cooling air holes are positioned on a turbine side of a spring seal and in order to efficiently manufacture the gas turbine combustor (Paragraphs 0063-0064 of Urono).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/9/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the prior art does not teach a housing that is positioned downstream of a welded portion in a flow direction of combustion gas, required by claim 1. In response and as discussed in the body of the rejection above, it is noted that Urono teaches (Figures 1-12) wherein the combustion cylinder (11) includes a combustion cylinder body (11b) that forms the combustion chamber (11a), and a combustion cylinder fixing adapter (30, 11c) that is connected to an end portion on an axial upstream side (the upstream end of 11b; see Figure 7) of the combustion cylinder body (11b) by a welding portion (Paragraph 0063), and the welded portion (between 11b and 11c; see Figure 7 and Paragraph 0063) is positioned upstream of an axial downstream end (the downstream end of 16b; see Figure 7) of the air passage (between 11 and 16b; see Figure 7), wherein the downstream end (the downstream end of 16b; see Figure 7) of the air passage (between 11 and 16b; see Figure 7) is positioned downstream of (see Figure 7) the welded portion (between 11b and 11c; see Figure 7 and Paragraph 0063) in a flow direction of combustion gas (through 11a) and Mawatari teaches (see Figures 3-5) that the housing (5) is positioned downstream of (see Figures 3-5) the downstream end (the downstream end of 23; see Figures 3-5) of the air passage (28a). Therefore, the location of the housing on the proposed combination of Mawatari in view of Wada, Yasuhiro, and Urono would necessarily be positioned downstream of the welded portion in a flow direction of the combustion gas.
Applicant’s remaining arguments with respect to claim(s) 10-17 have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new combination of references being applied in this office action. However, to the extent possible, Applicant’s arguments have been addressed in the body of the rejection above, at the appropriate locations.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892 for additional references teaching variable geometry air supply flow paths on combustion cylinders.
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/THOMAS P BURKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741