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 I in the reply filed on 10/31/25 is acknowledged. Claims 14−18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claims 1−5, 12−13, and 19−20 are rejected under 35 USC §102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent No. 9,527,576 to Haskins.
Regarding claim 1, Haskins teaches modular wing portion for installation into a wing assembly as a pre-assembled unit, the modular wing portion comprising: at least one rib 4 and at least one internal fuel tank system component (where the fuel tank system components include sensors 5 and 13−15, pumps 6, valves 10, conduits 16, cables 19, pipes 20).
Regarding claim 2, Haskins teaches that the at least one internal fuel tank system component and at least one rib are configured to be spatially fixed relative to each other such that: when the at least one rib is installed into the wing assembly, the at least one fuel tank system component is installed into wing assembly, and when the at least one fuel tank system component is installed, the at least one rib is installed into the wing assembly (col. 1 line 63 through col. 2 line 3; col. 3 lines 59−67).
Regarding claim 3, Haskins teaches that each rib of the at least one rib has a planar surface defining a rib plane being bounded by an outer rib boundary, wherein the at least one internal fuel tank system component passes through the rib plane, entirely within the outer rib boundary (where components such as pump 6 and valve 10 pass through the rib plane, see fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Haskins teaches that the modular wing portion has a length and a width, and
wherein the at least one rib comprises a plurality of ribs distributed along the length of the modular wing portion (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, as best understood, Haskins teaches that each rib has a length, wherein the length of each rib is substantially transverse to a length of the modular wing portion (where rib length axis is perpendicular to the plane of fig. 1 and wing length direction extends left-to-right in fig. 1), wherein each rib has a width (where one of ordinary skill in the art would interpret the rib width as being left-to-right in fig. 1), wherein the width of each rib is substantially parallel to a width of the modular wing portion (see above drawing objection; additionally note that the ribs and wings of both the prior art and Applicant’s disclosure are configured in the conventional arrangement for aircraft as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art), and wherein each rib has a depth, wherein the depth of each rib is substantially perpendicular to both the width of the modular wing portion and the length of the modular wing portion (fig. 1).
Regarding claims 12−13, Haskins teaches wing assembly configured to receive the modular wing portion of claim 1, and further comprising the modular wing portion (where modular wing portion of a rib and corresponding internal fuel tank component is assembled into a wing).
Regarding claims 19−20, Haskins teaches an aircraft comprising a wing, the wing comprising: the modular wing portion as claimed in claim 1 (where modular wing portion of a rib and corresponding internal fuel tank component is assembled into a wing of an aircraft).
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 6−11 are rejected under 35 USC §103 as being unpatentable over Haskins in view of Chinese Patent Document No. CN 218751451 U to Zou et al. (“Zou”).
Regarding claim 6, Haskins fails to disclose the specific method of assembling the ribs into the wing assembly.
Zou teaches a removable cartridge jig configured to guide assembly and installation of a modular wing portion (where the modular wing portion is the ribs discussed in paras. [0028]−[0030]), and
wherein the at least one rib are removably mounted to the removable cartridge jig (via the “multiple leading edge rib positioning machine components” in para. [0029], where “the leading edge rib can be detachably connected to the leading edge rib positioning plate 18,” there being corresponding trail edge components discussed in para. [0030]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to use the jig of Zou to assemble the ribs having internal fuel tank system components of Haskins because the jig of Zou allows for proper placement of several ribs before being attached to a large wing assembly, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.
Regarding claim 7, Haskings in view of Zou teaches that the removable cartridge jig comprises a connection interface configured to connect and align the removable cartridge jig in a predetermined position relative to a wing assembly (where positioning plates and positioning fixing plates of Zou form a connection interface that allows for connecting and aligning elements of the wing assembly).
Regarding claim 8, Haskings in view of Zou teaches that the removable cartridge jig comprises an adjustment mechanism configured to allow a position of the at least one rib to be adjusted along a length of the removable cartridge jig (where positioning plates of Zou form and adjustment mechanism configured to allow a position of the at least one rib to be adjusted along a length of the removable cartridge jig).
Regarding claim 9, Haskings in view of Zou teaches that the at least one rib is removably mounted to the removable cartridge jig by a secondary support (rib positioning plates 18 and 19) integrated into the removable cartridge jig (paras. [0029]−[0030]).
Regarding claim 10, Haskings in view of Zou teaches that the secondary support comprises one or more actuators (i.e. the tooling or mechanism used for actuating each positioning bolt and nut as described in paras. [0029]−[0030]) configured to align the at least one rib mounted to said secondary support into a final position.
Regarding claim 11, Haskings in view of Zou teaches that the secondary support comprises an upstand (vertical stand shown at 2 and 3 in figs. 1−2) configured to support at least one rib attached to the secondary support (figs. 1−2).
Conclusion
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/M.B.K./Examiner, Art Unit 3642 /JOSHUA J MICHENER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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