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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II: claims 7-15 in the reply filed on 08/14/2026 is acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the stiffening ring and bulkhead of claim 7 and the dry dock of claim 11 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 7-15 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.
Claim 7 recites, “attaching the tower to the semi-submersible while the semi-submersible is temporarily secured; and mounting a turbine on top of the semi-submersible to form the off-shore wind turbine”. It is unclear how the turbine is mounted on top of the semi-submersible, the turbine appears to be mounted on top of the tower, the tower mounted on top of the semi-submersible.
Claims 8-15 are rejected based on their dependency on 7.
Claim 9 recites, “the first assembly site includes a barge or a platform and a lift structure”. It is unclear if this means the site is a barge OR a platform with a lift structure (the former two together) or if it means it’s a barge or platform, either must include the lift structure. The same rejection for claim 10.
Claim 15 recites, “coupling the plurality of sections”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It appears claim 15 should depend from 14.
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) 7-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Loekin (US 12157545) in view of Fang (US 2021/0210233) and Macinnes (WO 2023/167816).
For claim 7, Loekin teaches a method of installing an off-shore wind turbine (description and figs.), the method comprising:
constructing a plurality of sections (initial construction of columns 101, 102, 103), each of the plurality of sections including a cylindrical plate (see figs. 1-2, 68-69 for instance) and a strengthening members within the cylinders (Col. 7, lines 44-45, and element 501) and two bulkheads (see 101-103 in figs. 68-69 for instance);
constructing a semi-submersible by welding (Col. 7, line 303-35) together the plurality of sections at a first assembly site (first assembly site consider the location of vessel 4503 in figs. 68-72 for instance), the semi-submersible including a primary buoyant vertical column (101 figs. 1), a first plurality of long horizontal tubes (107), each having a first end attached to the primary buoyant vertical column at a first level (fig. 1), and a plurality of secondary buoyant vertical columns (102, 103), each being connected to a corresponding second end of one of the first plurality of long horizontal tubes (see figs. 1), wherein spacings between the primary buoyant vertical columns and each of the plurality of secondary buoyant vertical columns are sufficiently large to accommodate an overturning moment applied by the turbine in operating conditions (accommodating wind turbine 200 as per figs. 1);
lowering the semi-submersible so that the semi-submersible floats on the sea surface (fig. 72, Col. 64, lines 33-39);
towing the semi-submersible to a second assembly site next to a lift structure (Col. 64, lines 33-39, towing, Fig. 73, Col. 64, lines 48-53);
using the lift structure to place a base of a tower at least partially directly above the primary buoyant vertical column (200 onto floater 100 using lift as pictured in Fig. 73);
attaching the tower and a turbine to the semi-submersible (Fig. 73, Col. 64, lines 33-53);
transporting the off-shore wind turbine to an off-shore usage location (Col. 64, lines 54-57); and
coupling to the seafloor or mooring the off-shore wind turbine at the off-shore usage location (Col. 64, lines 54-57).
Loekin is silent about a stiffing ring inside the cylindrical plate and temporarily securing the semi-submersible next to the lift structure; attaching the tower to the semi-submersible while the semi-submersible is temporarily secured; and mounting a turbine on top of the semi-submersible to form the off-shore wind turbine.
Fang teaches a wind turbine cylinder including a stiffing ring inside the cylindrical plate (60, para 0038, figs. 3-4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to include a stiffing ring, as taught by Fang, into the cylinders of Loekin, to strengthen the structure of the cylinders.
Macinnes teaches a method of installing an off shore wind turbine including a semi-submersible floating on a sea surface (see figs. 6A or 6B, 250); towing the semi-submersible to a second assembly site next to a lift structure (via boats 144, fig. 6A or 6B); temporarily securing the semi-submersible next to the lift structure (para 0042-0043); using the lift structure to place a base of a tower at least partially directly above the primary buoyant vertical column (para 0042-0043); attaching the tower to the semi-submersible while the semi-submersible is temporarily secured; and mounting a turbine on top of the semi-submersible to form the off-shore wind turbine (para 0042-0043, Fig. 5A).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to move and temporally attached the semi-submersible at the next site, as taught by the method of Macinnes, to secure the semi-submersible in place for assembly of the wind turbine thereupon.
For claim 8, modified Loekin further teaches wherein the plurality of sections is constructed on a barge (Fig. 69, 4503).
For claim 9, modified Loekin further teaches wherein the first assembly site includes a barge or a platform and a lift structure, and is configured to allow the lowering of the semi-submersible (see figs. 68-69, 4503, fig. 72, Col. 6, lines 33-39).
For claim 10 modified Loekin further teaches wherein the second assembly site includes the barge or the platform and a plurality of lift structures (see Fig. 68-73 of Loekin and see Fig. 6B of Macinnes).
For claim 11, modified Loekin further teaches wherein the barge or the platform includes an elevator for raising or lowering a dry dock at the first assembly site (see Macinnes fig. 6A, 232 and dock 154) and a pier at the second assembly site (152, fig. 6A of Macinnes), and wherein at least one of the plurality of lift structures is located on the pier (fig. 6A of Macinnes).
For claim 12, modified Loekin further teaches, wherein the pier is triangular (152 of Macinnes).
For claim 13, modified Loekin further teaches wherein the first plurality of long horizontal tubes includes three long horizontal tubes distributed around the primary buoyant vertical column (figs. 1 of Loekin).
For claim 14, modified Loekin further teaches wherein constructing at least one of the plurality of secondary buoyant vertical columns includes coupling a plurality of sections that are offset laterally, each of the plurality of sections including a cylindrical plate and a stiffening ring welded inside the cylindrical plate, and two bulkheads (see Fang, figs. and description, each section 20, coupled together to form a tower and including the cylindrical stiffing ring).
For claim 15, modified Loekin further teaches wherein coupling the plurality of sections includes connecting short horizontal tubes coped to match outer surfaces of a pair of the plurality of sections to the pair of the plurality of sections (see Fang, figs. and description, each section 20, coupled together to form a tower and including the cylindrical stiffing ring).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The prior art of record is noted as it pertains to manufacture methods for wind turbines.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAGDALENA TOPOLSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-3568. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Huson can be reached at 5712705301. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MAGDALENA TOPOLSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
