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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
Claims 1, 7-8, and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okabe et al., hereafter Okabe (JP 2016113925).
Regarding Claim 1, Okabe discloses a compressor wheel comprising:
a hub (Fig. 5 #11); and
at least one blade provided on an outer surface of the hub (Fig. 5 #15), wherein a back surface of the compressor wheel includes a flat portion which extends along a radial direction of the compressor wheel and which is located on a back end side of the compressor wheel in an axial direction with respect to an outer peripheral end of the back surface (Fig. 5 – surface away from blades near boss #13 as flat portion, with outer peripheral end at radial outer edge of hub #11), and
an outer side surface which connects the flat portion and the outer peripheral end of the back surface (Fig. 5 #11b), and
the outer side surface has an axial recessed portion recessed toward a front end side in the axial direction with respect to the outer peripheral end of the back surface (Fig. 5 #11c).
Regarding Claim 7, Okabe discloses all the limitations of Claim 1 above. Okabe further discloses wherein, in a case where a distance from an axis of the compressor wheel to the outer peripheral end of the back surface is defined as D1, and a distance from the axis to a front end located closest to the front end side in the axial direction in the axial recessed portion is defined as D2, the compressor wheel is configured to satisfy a condition of D2≥0.5D1 (Fig. 5; see below).
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Regarding Claim 8, Okabe discloses all the limitations of Claim 1 above. Okabe further discloses wherein, in a case where a distance from an end surface on the front end side to the flat portion of the compressor wheel in the axial direction is defined as L1, and a distance from the outer peripheral end of the back surface to the flat portion in the axial direction is defined as L2, the compressor wheel is configured to satisfy a condition of L2≥0.1L1 (Fig. 5; see below).
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Regarding Claim 10, Okabe discloses all the limitations of Claim 1 above. Okabe further discloses a centrifugal compressor comprising the compressor wheel according to Claim 1 (Fig. 8).
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.
Claims 2-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okabe in view of Taguchi et al., hereafter Taguchi (WO 2021010338).
Regarding Claim 2, Okabe teaches all the limitations of Claim 1 above. Okabe further teaches wherein the outer side surface includes at least one arc portion extending in an arc shape in a cross section along an axis of the compressor wheel (Fig. 5 #11b).
However, Okabe fails to teach at least one linear portion extending in a linear shape in a cross section along the axis.
Taguchi teaches a compressor wheel with a recess on the outer side surface with both an arc portion and linear portion (Fig. 5 #27a,27b, respectively), in order to reduce stress (paragraph 0045). Okabe and Taguchi are analogous prior art as they each relate to compressor wheels. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the outer side surface taught by Okabe by substituting the arc portion taught by Okabe for the arc portion and linear portion taught by Taguchi, as simple substitution of one known method for another to obtain predictable results is obvious, where the arc portion and linear portion produce the predictable result of reducing stress (Taguchi paragraph 0045).
Regarding Claim 3, Okabe as modified by Taguchi teaches all the limitations of Claim 2 above. Okabe as modified by Taguchi further teaches wherein the at least one arc portion includes at least a first arc portion of which a back side end is connected to the flat portion and a front side end is located on the front end side with respect to the back side end in the axial direction (Taguchi Fig. 5 #27a – part of arc portion as first arc portion; see below), and
a second arc portion of which an inner peripheral end is connected to the front side end of the first arc portion and which extends outward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral end (Taguchi Fig. 5 #27a – part of arc portion as second arc portion; see below), and
the at least one linear portion includes at least a first linear portion of which an inner peripheral end is connected to an outer peripheral end of the second are portion and which extends in a linear shape outward in the radial direction from the inner peripheral end (Fig. 5).
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Regarding Claim 4, Okabe as modified by Taguchi teaches all the limitations of Claim 3 above. Okabe as modified by Taguchi further teaches wherein at least one of the first arc portion or the second arc portion includes a front end located closest to the front end side in the axial direction in the axial recessed portion (Taguchi Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 5, Okabe as modified by Taguchi teaches all the limitations of Claim 3 above. Okabe as modified by Taguchi further teaches wherein a curvature radius of the first are portion is smaller than a curvature radius of the second are portion (Taguchi Fig. 5; see above).
Regarding Claim 6, Okabe as modified by Taguchi teaches all the limitations of Claim 3 above. Okabe as modified by Taguchi further teaches wherein the first linear portion is inclined such that the inner peripheral end is located on the front end side in the axial direction with respect to the outer peripheral end (Taguchi Fig. 5).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okabe in view of Hoshikawa et al., hereafter Hoshikawa (JP 2013147984).
Regarding Claim 9, Okabe teaches all the limitations of Claim 1 above.
However, Okabe fails to teach wherein the outer side surface has a radial recessed portion recessed inward in the radial direction of the compressor wheel with respect to an outer peripheral end of the flat portion.
Hoshikawa teaches a compressor wheel where the outer side surface has a radial recessed portion recessed inward in the radial direction of the compressor wheel with respect to an outer peripheral end of the flat portion (paragraph 0034; Fig. 3 – see below), in order to limit heat conduction (paragraphs 0034-0036). Okabe and Hoshikawa are analogous prior art as they each relate to compressor wheels. Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the outer side surface taught by Okabe with the radial recessed portion as taught by Hoshikawa, in order to limit heat conduction (Hoshikawa paragraphs 0034-0036).
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
McGee (US 2441432), Annati (US 20160265359), Iizuka (US 20180172019), and Yagi (US 20130251531) each teaches a compressor wheel with a recess on the back surface of the compressor hub.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACKSON GILLENWATERS whose telephone number is (469)295-9151. The examiner can normally be reached 10:00AM-6:00PM ET, M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NATHANIEL WIEHE can be reached at (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JACKSON N GILLENWATERS/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
