DETAILED ACTION
This is a non-final rejection in response to the RCE filed 6/18/26. Claims 1, 3-18, and 21-23 are currently pending.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-18, and 21-23 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 and 3-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Snyder (US 2022/0106053).
Regarding independent claim 1, Snyder teaches a fuel thermal control system 12 comprising: a flowline 30 to carry a fluid in a closed loop [0090]; a heat exchanger coupled to the flowline to receive the fluid, the heat exchanger to heat the fluid to a first temperature [0055]; a feed tank coupled to the flowline to receive the fluid, the feed tank including a first inlet and a second inlet, the first inlet to receive a first portion of the fluid from the heat exchanger at the first temperature, the second inlet to receive a second portion of the fluid at a second temperature less than the first temperature, wherein the first portion of the fluid and the second portion of the fluid mix in the feed tank to form a third portion having a third temperature between the first temperature and the second temperature [0096]; and a fuel heat exchanger 48 coupled to the flowline, the fuel heat exchanger to receive the fluid and a fuel distinct from the fluid [0056].
Regarding dependent claim 3, Snyder teaches wherein the flowline is coupled to a fuel heater 48 in which the fluid transfers heat to a fuel to be injected into a combustor [0059-0060].
Regarding dependent claim 4, Snyder teaches wherein the flowline includes a main loop and a fuel heater bypass section, wherein the main loop carries the fluid to the fuel heater, and wherein the fuel heater bypass section causes the fluid to bypass the fuel heater [0062].
Regarding dependent claim 5, Snyder teaches further including a valve 54 to control a ratio of a fourth portion of the fluid that flows to the fuel heater compared to a fifth portion of the fluid that flows to the fuel heater bypass section [0062, 0079].
Regarding dependent claim 6, Snyder teaches further including fuel temperature control circuitry 68 to control a ratio of the first portion of the fluid to the second portion of the fluid to adjust the third temperature based on a temperature measurement from one or more sensors 66 operatively coupled to the flowline between the feed tank and the fuel heater [0062,0079,0087-0088].
Regarding dependent claim 7, Snyder teaches wherein the flowline is a heat exchange fluid flowline, further including fuel temperature control circuitry 68 to control a ratio of the first portion of the fluid to the second portion of the fluid to adjust the third temperature based on a temperature measurement from one or more sensors operatively coupled to a fuel flowline between the fuel heater and the combustor [0062,0071-0073].
Regarding dependent claim 8, Snyder teaches further including fuel temperature control circuitry to increase a ratio of the first portion of the fluid to the second portion of the fluid when a fuel temperature is less than a target temperature [0079,0088-0089].
Regarding dependent claim 9, Snyder teaches further including a valve positioned upstream of the second inlet, and wherein the fuel temperature control circuitry adjusts a position of the valve to increase the ratio [0079,0088-0089].
Regarding dependent claim 10, Snyder teaches further including fuel temperature control circuitry to reduce a ratio of the first portion of the fluid to the second portion of the fluid when a fuel temperature is greater than a target temperature [0079,0088-0089].
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.
Claim(s) 11 and 14-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Snyder.
Regarding independent claim 11, Snyder teaches a fuel thermal control system 12 comprising: a flowline 30 defining a closed-loop flow path for a fluid [0090]; a fuel heat exchanger coupled to the flowline to receive the fluid, the fuel heat exchanger to cause the fluid to transfer heat to a fuel distinct from the fluid [0055-0056]; and a feed tank coupled to the flowline to receive the fluid, the feed tank including a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet, the first inlet to receive the fluid at a first temperature, the second inlet to receive the fluid at a second temperature less than the first temperature, the feed tank to mix the fluid at the first temperature and the fluid at the second temperature to cause the fluid to obtain a third temperature between the first temperature and the second temperature [0096].
Snyder is silent to the fluid at the third temperature to flow through the outlet to the fuel heat exchanger.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to modify the order of flow of the fluid within the thermal control system of the primary embodiment of Snyder to position the accumulator’s outlet function immediately upstream of the fuel-tank heat exchanger 48, yielding the predictable result of delivering temperature-conditioned fluid directly to that heat exchanger because it has been held that merely rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art - MPEP 2144.04 (VI-C).
Regarding dependent claim 14, Snyder teaches wherein the flowline includes a main loop and a fuel heater bypass section, wherein the main loop carries the fluid to the fuel heat exchanger, and wherein the fuel heater bypass section causes the fluid to bypass the fuel heat exchanger [0062].
Regarding dependent claim 15, Snyder teaches further including a valve 54 to control a ratio of a first portion of the fluid that flows to the fuel heat exchanger compared to a second portion of the fluid that bypasses the fuel heat exchanger in the fuel heater bypass section [0062, 0079].
Regarding dependent claim 16, Snyder teaches further including a mixer 38 coupled to the main loop and the fuel heater bypass section to mix the fluid that flows through the fuel heat exchanger with the fluid that bypasses the fuel heat exchanger [0096].
Regarding dependent claim 17, Snyder teaches wherein the flowline is a heat exchange fluid flowline, further including fuel temperature control circuitry 68 to control a ratio of the first portion of the fluid to the second portion of the fluid to adjust the third temperature based on a temperature measurement from one or more sensors 63 operatively coupled to a fuel flowline between the fuel heater and the combustor [0062,0071-0073].
Regarding dependent claim 18, Snyder teaches further including fuel temperature control circuitry 68 to increase a ratio of the first portion of the fluid to the second portion of the fluid when a fuel temperature is less than a target temperature [0079,0088-0089].
Claim(s) 12-13 and 21-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Snyder in view of Soriano et al. US 2016/0297538.
Regarding dependent claim 12, Snyder teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above. Snyder is silent to a waste heat recovery heat exchanger configured to absorb heat to obtain the first temperature.
Soriano teaches including a waste heat recovery heat exchanger 112 coupled to the flowline, the waste heat recovery heat exchanger to cause the fluid to absorb heat to obtain the first temperature [0018].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide Snyder with the heat exchanger configuration of Soriano as Soriano teaches it helps prevent fuel freezing in storage tanks during cod environments [0005].
Regarding dependent claim 13, Snyder in view of Soriano teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above. Soriano further teaches wherein a portion of the flowline bypasses the waste heat recovery heat exchanger to deliver the fluid at the second temperature to the second inlet of the feed tank [0017].
Regarding independent claim 21, Snyder teaches a fuel thermal control system comprising: a flowline 30 to carry a fluid [0090]; a heat exchanger coupled to the flowline to receive the fluid, the waste heat recovery heat exchanger to heat the fluid to a first temperature [0055-0056]; a feed tank coupled to the flowline to receive the fluid, the feed tank including a first inlet and a second inlet, the first inlet to receive a first portion of the fluid from the waste heat recovery heat exchanger at the first temperature, the second inlet to receive a second portion of the fluid at a second temperature less than the first temperature, wherein the first portion of the fluid and the second portion of the fluid mix in the feed tank to form a third portion having a third temperature between the first temperature and the second temperature; and a fuel heat exchanger coupled to the flowline to receive the fluid and a fuel to which the fluid transfers heat, the fuel distinct from the fluid [0096].
Snyder is silent to the heat exchanger specifically being a waste heat recovery heat exchanger.
Soriano teaches including a waste heat recovery heat exchanger 112 coupled to the flowline, the waste heat recovery heat exchanger to cause the fluid to absorb heat to obtain the first temperature [0018].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to provide Snyder with the heat exchanger configuration of Soriano as Soriano teaches it helps prevent fuel freezing in storage tanks during cold environments [0005].
Regarding dependent claim 22, Snyder in view of Soriano teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above. Snyder further teaches wherein the flowline defines a closed-loop flow path for the fluid [0090].
Regarding dependent claim 23, Snyder in view of Soriano teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above. Snyder further teaches further including fuel temperature control circuitry 68 to increase a ratio of the first portion of the fluid to the second portion of the fluid when a fuel temperature is less than a target temperature [0079,0088-0089].
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CRAIG SANG KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-1418. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
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/CRAIG KIM/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3741
Prosecution Insights