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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 8-9 of the response, filed 06/22/2026, with respect to the previous objections to the drawings, specification, and claims, have been fully considered and are persuasive. The previous informalities have been removed from the drawings, specification, and claims; therefore, the previous objections to the drawings, specification, and claim have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Page 9 of the response, filed 06/22/2026, with respect to the rejections made under 35 U.S.C. §112(b), have been fully considered and are persuasive. The indefiniteness has been removed from Claims 13-15 and 19; therefore, the rejections made under 35 U.S.C. §112(b) have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 9-10 of the response, filed 06/22/2026, with respect to the rejection of Claims 11-13 and 18 under 35 U.S.C. 103, have been fully considered and are persuasive. The added limitation to Claim 11 of the mixture comprising between 15-35% by mass of cut fiber is not disclosed by the prior art and was indicated as allowable subject matter in the previous office action. Therefore, the rejection of Claims 11-13 and 18 under 35 U.S.C. §103 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 19 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Claim 19 is amended to be an independent claim and no longer requires the limitations of Claim 11. Therefore, a new ground of rejection is made of Claim 19 under 35 U.S.C. §102(a)(1), and a new ground of rejection under 35 U.S.C. §103 is made of Claim 20.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities: “comprises 15% and 35%” should read “comprises between 15% and 35%”. 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) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Foster (US Publication No: 2019/0331127).
Regarding Claim 19: Foster discloses a blade (Figure 3, No. 160) of a turbomachine (Figure 1, No. 20), comprising a first outer skin (Figures 3-5, No. 170) and a second outer skin (172) which are made of composite material (Paragraph [0051], Lines 1-2) connected to each other at an outer end of the blade (Figure 3; Paragraph [0050], Lines 1-3), the first skin comprising a first inner end portion (Figure 5), the second skin comprising a second inner end portion (Figure 3), the first inner end portion and the second inner end portion being spaced apart from each other in such a way as to delimit therebetween an inner cavity of the blade that opens into the opening at the inner end of the blade (Figure 5), the inner end being radially opposite the outer end (Figure 3), the blade further comprising a reinforcement (168), wherein the reinforcement has dimensions corresponding substantially to dimensions of the inner cavity at the opening (Figure 5), the reinforcement being arranged in the inner cavity in such a way as to close the opening (Figure 5).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Foster in view of Kamiya (US Patent No: 10,914,176).
Regarding Claim 20: Foster discloses the blade according to Claim 19; however, Foster fails to disclose a filler material arranged in the inner cavity radially between the reinforcement and the outer end of the blade.
Kamiya teaches a blade (Figure 9, No. 200) comprising a filler material (60) arranged in an inner cavity between a reinforcement (40) and an outer end of the blade (Figure 9).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to make the blade of Foster with a filler material, as taught by Kamiya, for the purpose of preventing the generation of voids in the material surrounding the filler material, thus increasing the strength of the blade (Column 11, Lines 9-18).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-18, 21, and 24-25 are allowed. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Allowable subject matter is incorporated into independent Claim 11 from dependent Claim 16.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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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