DETAILED ACTION
Status
This Non-Final Office Action is in response to the application papers filed on 23 August 2024.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim(s) 1-15 is/are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 8 September 2024, 31 October 2024, 14 August 2025, 24 February 2026 is/are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the IDS has/have been considered.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informality(ies):
(A) At paragraph 0034: “one or more of the fan blades 40 may rotatable relative to the disk 42” is suggested to be: one or more of the fan blades 40 may be rotatable relative to the disk 42. Appropriate correction is required.
(B) At paragraph 0036: “the disk 42 is covered by rotatable front hub 48 aerodynamically contoured to promote an airflow” is suggested to be: the disk 42 is covered by rotatable front hub 48 that is aerodynamically contoured to promote an airflow. Appropriate correction is required.
(C) At paragraphs 0085, 0087-0111, 0113-0129: the term “clauses” is suggested to be: embodiments. Appropriate correction is required.
(D) At paragraph 0087-0088: “wherein
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” is suggested to be: wherein
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c
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. Appropriate correction is required.
The disclosure may have more informalities not identified above. Please review the specification for any further appropriate correction(s).
Claim Objections
Claim(s) 1 is/are objected to because of the following informality(ies):
(A) At line 11: “ratio c/D” is suggested to be: a ratio c/D. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim(s) 8 is/are objected to because of the following informality(ies):
(A) At line 2: “ratio c/D” is suggested to be: the ratio c/D. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim(s) 9 is/are objected to because of the following informality(ies):
(A) At line 10: “ratio c/D” is suggested to be: a ratio c/D. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim(s) 15 is/are objected to because of the following informality(ies):
(A) At line 2: “ratio c/D” is suggested to be: the ratio c/D. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-15 is/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.
(A) Regarding Claim 1:
Claim 1 recites: “
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<
∆
y
1
<
6
… wherein
∆
y
is equal to or greater than 0.0125 and less than 6” The most relevant portion(s) of the specification found by the Office, at paragraph 0086 discloses
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<
∆
y
1
<
6
, while paragraph 0093, disclose(s)
∆
y
1
is equal to or greater than 0.0125 and less than 6. Thus, claim 1 is rendered indefinite because the meaning and/or scope of the claim is unclear. Specifically, the claim recites two ranges for
∆
y
1
that conflict because
∆
y
1
is simultaneously greater than 0.0125 and greater than 0. Thus, it is unclear what the lower limit for
∆
y
1
is. Therefore, the language of the claim is such that one of ordinary skill in the art could not reasonably ascertain the metes and bounds of the claim, when construed in light of the specification, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(B) Claim(s) 2-8 is/are rejected due to inheriting the deficiency(ies) raised with regard to claim 1.
(C) Regarding Claim 9:
Claim 9 recites: “
0
<
∆
y
1
<
6
… wherein
∆
y
is equal to or greater than 0.0125 and less than 6” The most relevant portion(s) of the specification found by the Office, at paragraph 0086 discloses
0
<
∆
y
1
<
6
, while paragraph 0093, disclose(s)
∆
y
1
is equal to or greater than 0.0125 and less than 6. Thus, claim 9 is rendered indefinite because the meaning and/or scope of the claim is unclear. Specifically, the claim recites two ranges for
∆
y
1
that conflict because
∆
y
1
is simultaneously greater than 0.0125 and greater than 0. Thus, it is unclear what the lower limit for
∆
y
1
is. Therefore, the language of the claim is such that one of ordinary skill in the art could not reasonably ascertain the metes and bounds of the claim, when construed in light of the specification, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(D) Claim(s) 10-15 is/are rejected due to inheriting the deficiency(ies) raised with regard to claim 9.
Cited Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 10670040 to Nolcheff et al. teaches the number of blades is greater than or equal to 16 and less than or equal to 24, wherein there is a relationship between blade count and the nose member aspect ratio. EP 2535548 to Adams et al. teaches there has been a correlation between increased bypass area ratio and increased low pressure turbine section radius and low pressure turbine section airfoil count. As is discussed below, this correlation may be broken by having an engine with relatively high bypass area ratio and relatively low turbine size.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 1 and 9 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim(s) 2-8 is/are allowed due to dependence from claim 1.
Claims(s) 10-15 is/are allowed due to dependence from claim 9.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
(A) Regarding Claim(s) 1 and 9:
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572
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Claim(s) 1 and 9 is/are deemed novel and nonobvious over the cited art due to the inclusion of the limitation(s):
which, in combination with the other requirements of the claim(s), is neither taught nor suggested by the cited prior art as a whole, either alone or in combination. Specifically, the cited art (e.g. US 7,374,403 to Decker and US 10,458,426 to Wilkin, II et al.) teaches fan design characteristics of blade number or blade chord in relation to solidity of the blade. Thus, the cited art does not disclose, teach or suggest the combination of variables required by the claims to result in the first performance characteristic.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAYLA M MCCAFFREY whose telephone number is (571)272-3438. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday (excluding Wednesday) 10AM - 2 PM EST.
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KAYLA M. MCCAFFREY
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3745
/Kayla McCaffrey/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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