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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Invention II (drawn to Claims 8-13) in the reply filed on 06/04/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 1-7 and 14-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 06/04/2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) were filed on 06/04/2024 and 01/16/2026. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 9-13 are objected to because of the following informalities: “The case module” in Line 1 of Claims 9-13 should read “The case assembly”. Appropriate correction is required.
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) 8-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pommier (US Patent No: 8,277,176).
Regarding Claim 8: Pommier discloses a casing assembly (Figures 1, 3 & 4, No. 10) comprising a wall separating a high-pressure region and a low-pressure region of the casing assembly, wherein a static pressure within the high-pressure region is greater than a static pressure within the low-pressure region (Column 1, Lines 3-4 – inherent in a jet engine); an aperture (22) extending through the wall configured to permit fluid from the high-pressure region to flow through the aperture into the low-pressure region; and a drain shield (36) extending through and enclosing the aperture (Figure 4), the drain shield comprising a body (38) having a passage (42) extending through the body along an axis to fluidly connect the high-pressure region and the low-pressure region (Figures 3-4); a stop (44) extending outward from the axis at a first end of the body (Figures 3-4); and a plastically deformable portion (40) at a second end of the body opposite the first end; wherein the stop mates with a first surface of the wall and the plastically deformable portion mates with a second surface of the wall opposite the first surface (Figure 4).
Regarding Claim 9: Pommier discloses the case assembly of Claim 8, wherein the aperture includes a chamfer (50) at an interface between the second surface of the wall and the second end of the body, and wherein the plastically deformable portion conforms to and encloses the chamfer (Figure 4).
Regarding Claim 10: Pommier discloses the case assembly of Claim 8, wherein the stop is a flange that is normal to the axis (Figure 3).
Regarding Claim 11: Pommier discloses the case assembly of Claim 8, wherein the plastically deformable portion has an uninstalled state in which the plastically deformable portion extends parallel to the axis that is insertable through the aperture and an installed state in which the plastically deformable portion extends outward from the axis at an oblique angle to the axis that restrains the drain shield with respect to the aperture (Figures 3-4).
Regarding Claim 12: Pommier discloses the case assembly of Claim 8, wherein the plastically deformable portion is less than or equal to one third the length of the body measured from the first end to the second end parallel to the axis (Figures 3-4).
Regarding Claim 13: Pommier discloses the case assembly of Claim 8, wherein the body and the passage define an annular cross-section (Figures 3-4; Column 3, Lines 26-27).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L SEHN whose telephone number is (571)270-3564. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM-6 PM, every other Friday off.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Courtney Heinle can be reached at 571-270-3508. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL L SEHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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