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 Objections
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 2, “shrinks” should be --shrink-- because “plies” is plural. Appropriate correction is required.
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, 10-18, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hardwicke ‘893 (US 2016/0376893 A1) in view of Verrilli ‘649 (US 2017/0114649 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Hardwicke ‘893 teaches:
heating to form an intermediate part, the intermediate part including a first portion bonded to a second portion (CMC component 100 + CMC second portion 202, Figs. 2-12; ¶ [0022], [0025]-[0026], [0031]), the first portion including an extension (right-side portion of component 100, Figs. 2-12)
laying second composite plies on the extension, the second composite plies extending from the extension to the second portion (ply 500/tape 502, Fig. 5; ¶ [0028]-[0030])
heating the intermediate part and the second composite plies to form a CMC engine airfoil component (¶ [0022], [0028]-[0029], [0031]).
Hardwicke ‘893 teaches that the first portion and the second portion forming the part are ceramic matrix composite, but does not explicitly teach laying first composite plies. In analogous art of CMC engine component manufacturing, Verrilli ‘649 suggests forming parts for a CMC engine airfoil component by laying first composite plies and heating, and wherein a part including a first portion bonded to a second portion can be formed (¶ [0037]-[0040]; [0045]-[0050]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Hardwick ‘893 by laying first composite plies to form the part as a known manner of forming a CMC part for an engine airfoil component, as suggested by Verrilli ‘649.
Regarding claim 2, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the heating the part comprises at least one of a sintering process, an autoclaving process, a melt infiltration process, a chemical vapor infiltration process, or a burnout process (¶ [0031]). Verrilli ‘649 also suggests such heating (¶ [0038]-[0040]).
Regarding claim 3, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the extension includes a tab (extended portion of component 100 having surface 200, Fig. 4/joint 203, Fig. 5; or, portion including joint 1100 or 1200, Figs.11-12; ¶ [0025], [0033]), and the second composite plies extend from the tab to the second portion (ply 500/tape 502, Fig. 5; ¶ [0027]-[0030]).
Regarding claim 4, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches upon heating the intermediate part and the second composite plies, the first portion, the second portion, and the second composite plies form a monolithic CMC engine airfoil component (¶ [0022], [0028]-[0031]).
Regarding claim 5, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the extension defines a first surface (surface 200, Figs. 4-5) and a second surface (upper surface of component 100, Figs. 4-5), the second portion is bonded to the first surface (second portion 202, Fig. 5), and the second composite plies extend from the second surface to the second portion (ply 500/tape 502, Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 6, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the second portion and the second composite plies encapsulate the extension (Fig. 12, wherein the extension is defined as the tenon of component 100, which is encapsulated by the mortise of second portion 202; ¶ [0033]; the ply 500/tape 502 as illustrated in Fig. 5 would be on the surface spanning the joint of Fig. 12, and thus second portion 202 and ply 500/tape 502 would encapsulate the extension).
Regarding claim 7, Hardwicke ‘893 teaches that the first portion and the second portion forming the part are ceramic matrix composite parts that formed separately (CMC 102, ¶ [0022], [0025]), and Verrilli ‘649 suggests laying the first composite plies and heating to form parts as described above. Thus in the combination of Hardwicke ‘893 and Verrilli ‘649, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to heat some of the first composite plies to form the first portion and to heat others of the first composite plies to for the second portion to form the two separate parts as taught by Hardwicke ‘893 by a known CMC forming process as suggested by Verrilli ‘649. Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches bonding the first portion to the second portion with a bonding agent (¶ [0027], [0030]).
Regarding claims 10-11, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the extension includes a dovetail-shaped slot, and the second portion includes a dovetail shaped to mate with the dovetail-shaped slot (¶ [0033], wherein Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate component 100 as encompassing both a male portion or a female portion of a joint, such that it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the extension to be shaped as either the dovetail or dovetail-shaped slot in a dovetail joint with second portion 202).
Regarding claim 12, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the CMC engine airfoil component is one of a nozzle or a rotor blade (¶ [0022]).
Regarding claim 13, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the second composite plies form a green state part on the intermediate part (¶ [0028]-[0030]).
Regarding claim 14, Hardwicke ‘893 teaches:
joining a first part (CMC component 100) to a second part (second component 202) to form an intermediate part (CMC component 100 + CMC second portion 202, Figs. 2-12; ¶ [0022], [0025]-[0026], [0031]), the first part and the second part each being formed of a CMC material (¶ [0022], [0025]-[0026])
laying composite plies (ply 500/tape 502, Fig. 5) on the intermediate part across the first part and the second part to form a third part (¶ [0028]-[0030])
heating the third part to form a CMC engine airfoil component in one of an autoclaving process, a burnout process, a melt infiltration process, a chemical vapor infiltration process, or a sintering process (¶ [0022], [0028]-[0029], [0031]).
Hardwicke ‘893 is silent regarding the first part being a heated first part and the second part being a heated second part, although Hardwicke ‘893 describes that each of the CMC parts are complete CMC parts before joining (¶ [0022], [0025]-[0026]). In analogous art of CMC engine component manufacturing, Verrilli ‘649 suggests forming parts for a CMC engine airfoil component by heating, resulting in heated parts (¶ [0037]-[0040]; [0045]-[0050]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method of Hardwick ‘893 by heating to form the heated first part and the heated second part as a known manner of forming a CMC part for an engine airfoil component, as suggested by Verrilli ‘649.
Regarding claim 15, Hardwicke ‘893 (in view of Verrilli ‘469) further teaches the heated first part and the heated second part define an axial interface (joint 302, Fig. 5), and the composite plies extend along the axial interface between the heated first part and the heated second part (ply 500/tape 502, Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 16, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches upon heating the third part, the intermediate part and the composite plies form a monolithic CMC engine airfoil component (¶ [0022], [0028]-[0031]).
Regarding claim 17, Hardwicke ‘893 (in view of Verrilli ‘469) further teaches the heated first part includes a tab (extended portion of component 100 having surface 200, Fig. 4/joint 203, Fig. 5; or, portion including joint 1100 or 1200, Figs.11-12; ¶ [0025], [0033]) defining a first surface (surface 200, Figs. 4-5) and a second surface (upper surface of component 100, Figs. 4-5), the heated second part is joined to the first surface (second portion 202, Fig. 5), and the composite plies extend from the heated second part to the second surface of the tab (ply 500/tape 502, Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 18, Hardwicke ‘893 (in view of Verrilli ‘469) further teaches the heated first part is bonded to the heated second part with a bonding agent (¶ [0027], [0030]).
Regarding claim 20, Hardwicke ‘893 further teaches the composite plies form a green state part on the intermediate part (¶ [0028]-[0030]).
Claim(s) 9 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hardwicke ‘893 (US 2016/0376893 A1) and Verrilli ‘649 (US 2017/0114649 A1) in view of Reitz ‘740 (US 2010/0247740 A1).
Regarding claim 9, Hardwicke ‘893 and Verrilli ‘649 are silent regarding laying third composite plies on the CMC engine airfoil component to form an intermediate CMC engine airfoil component and heating the intermediate CMC engine airfoil component to form a second CMC engine airfoil component. In analogous art of CMC engine parts, Reitz ‘740 suggests laying composite plies on a CMC engine component to form an intermediate CMC engine component, and heating the intermediate CMC engine component to form a second CMC engine component for the benefit of repairing a surface of the CMC engine component (¶ [0015], [0019]-[0021], [0025], [0031]-[0036], [0118]-[0121], [0142]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Hardwicke ‘893 and Verrilli ‘649 by laying third composite plies on the CMC engine airfoil component to form an intermediate CMC engine airfoil component and heating the intermediate CMC engine airfoil component to form a second CMC engine airfoil component for the benefit of repairing a surface of the CMC engine airfoil component, as suggested by Reitz ‘740.
Regarding claim 19, Hardwicke ‘893 and Verrilli ‘649 are silent regarding laying second composite plies on the CMC engine airfoil component to form an intermediate CMC engine airfoil component and heating the intermediate CMC engine airfoil component to form a second CMC engine airfoil component. In analogous art of CMC engine parts, Reitz ‘740 suggests laying composite plies on a CMC engine component to form an intermediate CMC engine component, and heating the intermediate CMC engine component to form a second CMC engine component for the benefit of repairing a surface of the CMC engine component (¶ [0015], [0019]-[0021], [0025], [0031]-[0036], [0118]-[0121], [0142]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Hardwicke ‘893 and Verrilli ‘649 by laying second composite plies on the CMC engine airfoil component to form an intermediate CMC engine airfoil component and heating the intermediate CMC engine airfoil component to form a second CMC engine airfoil component for the benefit of repairing a surface of the CMC engine airfoil component, as suggested by Reitz ‘740.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Hardwicke ‘893 and Verrilli ‘649 are considered to be the closest prior art. In Hardwicke ‘893, the second composite plies are placed in an inset in the intermediate part (¶ [0029]), wherein the second composite plies are green and the intermediate part is already heated. Hardwicke ‘893 does not describe shrinkage, but one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would understand that shrinkage upon heating would have already occurred for the intermediate part, and then shrinkage of the second composite plies in subsequent heating would not form a friction fit, but would likely cause the second composite plies to pull in from the intermediate part. Similarly in Verrilli ‘649, first assembly A1 is heated before adding on plies and heating to form assembly A2. The added-on parts do not appear to surround or encapsulate first assembly A1, and thus any shrinkage of the added-on parts in the second heating would not necessarily form a friction fit with the first assembly A1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2018/0094525 A1 describes laying on additional plies for repair of CMC parts.
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/ERIN SNELTING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1741