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 .
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) 1-6 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rockwood (US 5,484,267) in view of Yang (US 2004/0206084). Regarding Claim 1:In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses a pump (100) comprising: a pump shaft (108); a plurality of fan blades (blades of blower 300, not shown but extremely well known the art that blowers of this type have a plurality of fan blades) coupled to the pump shaft (coupled to 108 via 306, 104 and 101 as seen in Figures 1 and 5); a pump housing (104, 101), wherein the pump housing (104, 101) comprises one or more heat fins (cooling fins 105) on an outer surface of the pump housing (105 on outer surface of 104, see Figure 5), and wherein the pump shaft (108) is disposed within and passes through the pump housing (108 passes through 101 as seen in Figure 1); and a flow modifier (306, 308) disposed between the plurality of fan blades (blades of 300) and the one or more heat fins (as seen in Figure 5), wherein the flow modifier (306, 308) is configured to direct and concentrate an airflow (332) from the plurality of fan blades onto the one or more heat fins of the pump housing when the pump shaft is rotating (as depicted by flow direction arrows 332 shown in Figure 5. Also see column 18, line 67 to column 19, line 5).In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses the pump (100) comprising at least one of a supply line (284) or a return line (284) coupling the barrier fluid reservoir (235) to the barrier chamber (multiple supply lines and return lines, all depicted as 284 are shown in either Figure 3a or Figure 3b).Rockwood is silent regarding one or more barrier fluid heat fins disposed on at least one of the supply lines or return lines. However, in Figure 1, Yang discloses a heat release system wherein a line (109) has a plurality of heat fins (depicted as 108 in Figure 1) disposed on it in order to enhance the heat transfer between the fluid flowing in this line to the exterior environment. It is also extremely well known in the art that adding heat fins to a conduit can aid in heat transfer dissipation between the fluid, the walls of the conduit and the exterior (see Yang’s paragraph [0058] that discloses these fins as providing heat conduction). Hence, based on common knowledge in the art and Yang’s teaching, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add one or more heat fins around at least one of Rockwood’s supply or return lines (284), since doing so would enhance the heat transfer dissipation from these lines to the exterior via the added heat conduction fins, thereby enhancing the cooling of the barrier fluid within these lines. Regarding Claim 2:In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses the pump (100), wherein the flow modifier (306, 308) comprises a cowling (306) disposed over the pump shaft (disposed axially over the pump shaft 108) and the plurality of fan blades (disposed axially over 300), and a skirt (308) angled away from the plurality of fan blades and towards the heat fins (308 is inclined in a direction towards fins 105 as seen in Figure 5).Regarding Claim 3:In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses the pump (100), further comprising: an inboard seal (202, 274); an outboard seal (200, 210); and a gland assembly (212, 214, 262, 272, henceforth referred to as GA), wherein the pump housing (101, 104) defines a primary chamber (156) between an interior surface of the pump housing and an outer surface of the pump shaft (as seen in Figure 1); wherein the inboard seal (202, 274), the outboard seal (200, 210), and the gland assembly (GA) are configured to be disposed within the primary chamber of the pump housing (as seen in Figure 1), and wherein the gland assembly (GA) is disposed between the inboard seal and the outboard seal (as seen in Figure 1).Regarding Claim 4:In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses the pump (100), wherein the inboard seal (202, 274), the gland assembly (GA), and the outboard seal (200, 210) are configured to form a plurality of chambers (260, 234, 291) within the pump housing (see Figure 1).Regarding Claim 5:In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses the pump (100), wherein the plurality of chambers (234, 260, 291) comprises a barrier chamber (234, 291) defined by the gland assembly (GA), the outer surface of the pump shaft (108), an outboard surface (surface of 202 carrying 274) of the inboard seal (202, 274), and an inboard surface (206) of the outboard seal (as seen in Figure 1).Regarding Claim 6:In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses the pump (100), a barrier fluid (barrier fluid, preferably liquid disposed within the barrier chamber (disposed within 234 and 291, see column 11, lines 37-52 and Figures 3(a) or 3(b)); and a barrier fluid reservoir (235) in fluid communication with the barrier chamber (as depicted in Figures 3a or 3b), wherein the barrier fluid reservoir (235) is configured to pass the barrier fluid to the barrier chamber and receive the barrier fluid from the barrier chamber when the pump shaft is rotating (as depicted by the flow direction arrows in Figures 3a or 3b).Regarding Claim 8:In Figures 1-8, Rockwood discloses the pump (100), wherein the pump shaft (108) comprises a portion (portion coupled to 106) having a decreased diameter relative to the maximum diameter of the pump shaft (as seen in Figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-13 and 15-20 are allowable since independent claim 9 has been amended to incorporate claim 14 which was previously indicated as allowable for the reasons presented below.
Claim 9 states: limiting a flow of the fluid to a primary chamber formed within the pump housing using the inboard bearing; and limiting the convective heat transfer from the fluid to the inboard seal and the outboard seal based on limiting the flow of fluid to the primary chamber.
Rockwood’s inboard bearing (124) is downstream of the pumped fluid chamber (i.e., primary chamber 156, see Figure 1) and so it would be incapable of limiting a flow of pumped fluid to this chamber. There would be no reasonable modification to add this type of inboard bearing upstream of the primary chamber to provide the claimed limitation of limiting the convective heat transfer.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks, filed 10/21/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 7 under Wang have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Yang as presented above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DOMINICK L PLAKKOOTTAM whose telephone number is (571)270-7571. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 12 pm -8 pm ET.
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/DOMINICK L PLAKKOOTTAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746