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 § 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) 1, 2, 6, 7, 11-14, 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Balzer (US 3007462).
Balzer discloses:
1. A propulsion apparatus, comprising: a power generation unit (81); and a propulsion device (Fig. 1), comprising: a rotating assembly (44), comprising: two or more pressurizer units (41); one or more rotating arms (ends of 44 that includes 47) connected to the two or more pressurizer units and a supporting mechanism (36, 33, etc.); and one or more transfer pipes (71, 72, etc.) connected to the two or more pressurizer units to allow one or more materials to move between the two or more pressurizer units; and the supporting mechanism which allows the rotating assembly to rotate about one or more rotation axes (see annotated Balzer Fig. 1’, all limitations are either annotated or apparent from the Figures).
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2. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power generation unit (81) applies a generated power to rotate the rotating assembly about the one or more rotation axes.
6. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more pressurizer units comprise: two or more pistons (39) connected to two or more piston connecting rods wherein: a first side of a first piston connecting rod of the two or more piston connecting rods is connected to a first piston of the two or more pistons; and a second side of the first piston connecting rod is connected to a first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms (connecting rod 46 is connected to piston 39 with a ball joint and arm at the end of 44 with a ball joint); and a first cylinder (38) configured to at least partially house the first piston, wherein the first piston moves in the first cylinder (piston 39 moves within cylinder 38).
7. The propulsion apparatus of claim 6, wherein: a first side of a second piston connecting rod of the two or more piston connecting rods is connected to a second piston of the two or more pistons (connecting rod 46); a second side of the second piston connecting rod is connected to the first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms; and the propulsion device comprises: a third joint connecting the second side of the first piston connecting rod to the first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms (connecting rod 46 is connected to piston 39 with a ball joint and arm at the end of 44 with a ball joint), wherein the third joint allows the first piston to move in the first cylinder (ball joint seen in Fig. 6 allows piston 39 to move within cylinder 38); a fourth joint connecting the second side of the second piston connecting rod to the first rotating arm, wherein the fourth joint allows the second piston to move in a second cylinder configured to at least partially house the second piston; and
a first joint connecting a first holding rod of the supporting mechanism to the first rotating arm (first rotating arm on the end of 44 is connected to a first holding rod via a joint 26, 28, 33, see annotated Balzer Fig. 1').
11. The propulsion apparatus of claim 7, wherein: the first cylinder configured to: at least partially house the first piston in a first section of the first cylinder, wherein the first piston moves in the first section of the first cylinder (see Fig. 1, piston 39 in first section of the first cylinder 38); and at least partially house a third piston in a second section of the first cylinder, wherein the third piston moves in the second section of the first cylinder (see Fig. 1, piston 41 in second section of the first cylinder 38); and
the second cylinder configured to: at least partially house the second piston in a first section of the second cylinder, wherein the second piston moves in the first section of the second cylinder; and at least partially house a fourth piston in a second section of the second cylinder, wherein the fourth piston moves in the second section of the second cylinder (see Fig. 1, the other cylinder 38 with the other two pistons 39, 41).
12. The propulsion apparatus of claim 11, wherein the two or more pressurizer units comprise: the two or more pistons connected to the two or more piston connecting rods wherein: a first side of the third piston connecting rod of the two or more piston connecting rods is connected to the third piston of the two or more pistons; and a second side of the third piston connecting rod is connected to a second rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms; and the first cylinder configured to at least partially house the third piston, wherein the third piston moves in the first cylinder (see annotated Balzer Fig. 1’, all limitations are either annotated or apparent from the Figures).
13. The propulsion apparatus of claim 12, wherein: a first side of the fourth piston connecting rod of the two or more piston connecting rods is connected to the fourth piston of the two or more pistons; a second side of the fourth piston connecting rod is connected to the second rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms; and the propulsion device comprises: a fifth joint connecting the second side of the third piston connecting rod to the second rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms, wherein the fifth joint allows the third piston to move in the first cylinder; a sixth joint connecting the second side of the fourth piston connecting rod to the second rotating arm, wherein the sixth joint allows the fourth piston to move in the second cylinder configured to at least partially house the fourth piston; and a second joint connecting a second holding rod of the supporting mechanism to the second rotating arm (see annotated Balzer Fig. 1’, all limitations are either annotated or apparent from the Figures, joints are the balls on the ends of the piston rods 46).
14. The propulsion apparatus of claim 13, wherein: the fifth joint comprises at least one of a fifth pivot or a fifth hinge; the sixth joint comprises at least one of a sixth pivot or a sixth hinge; and the second joint comprises at least one of a second pivot or a second hinge (see annotated Balzer Fig. 1’, all limitations are either annotated or apparent from the Figures, joints are the balls on the ends of the piston rods 46 and arms are at the ends of structure 51).
17. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more materials comprise at least one of: a gas; a liquid; a solid; or a plasma (Col. 1 lines 22-29).
18. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the propulsion apparatus is a non-contacting propulsion apparatus; the propulsion apparatus transforms a centrifugal force obtained from the rotation of the rotating assembly about the one or more rotation axes to an adjustable force; the one or more transfer pipes are connected to the two or more pressurizer units via one or more valves (Col. 1 lines 59-64 discloses inlet and outlet valves connected to the cylinders, which would be connected to the transfer tube/manifold 71, 72); or a cross-sectional shape of a transferring pipe of the one or more transfer pipes is at least one of circular, oval, triangular, square, rectangular, or polygonal.
19. A propulsion apparatus, comprising: a power generation unit; and a propulsion device, comprising: a rotating assembly, comprising: a first pressurizer unit; a second pressurizer unit; one or more rotating arms connected to the first pressurizer unit, the second pressurizer unit and a supporting mechanism; and one or more transfer pipes connected to the first pressurizer unit and the second pressurizer unit to allow one or more materials to move between the first pressurizer unit and the second pressurizer unit; and the supporting mechanism which allows the rotating assembly to rotate about one or more rotation axes (see claim 1 rejection for equivalent limitation mapping and discussion).
20. The propulsion apparatus of claim 19, wherein the power generation unit (81) applies a generated power to rotate the rotating assembly about the one or more rotation axes.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-7, 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schott (US 2706384).
Schott discloses:
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1. A propulsion apparatus, comprising: a power generation unit (11); and a propulsion device, comprising: a rotating assembly (20, 32, etc.), comprising: two or more pressurizer units (37, 29); one or more rotating arms (35, 36) connected to the two or more pressurizer units and a supporting mechanism (13, 14, 10); and one or more transfer pipes (66, 68, 73, 80, 83, etc.) connected to the two or more pressurizer units to allow one or more materials to move between the two or more pressurizer units; and the supporting mechanism (13, 14, 10) which allows the rotating assembly to rotate about one or more rotation axes.
2. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power generation unit applies a generated power to rotate the rotating assembly about the one or more rotation axes (engine 11 rotates shaft 17 which rotates the rotating assembly 20, 32, etc.).
3. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supporting mechanism comprises: one or more holding rods (20 with slots 21) wherein: a first holding rod of the one or more holding rods is connected to a first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms (structure 20 has slots 21 that are coupled to rotating arms, 35,36); and a second holding rod of the one or more holding rods is connected to a second rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms; and one or more base plates which connect the one or more holding rods to one or more walls of the propulsion device (see annotated Schott Fig. 1', all limitations are either annotated or apparent from the Figures under the broadest reasonable interpretation).
4. The propulsion apparatus of claim 3, wherein the supporting mechanism comprises: a first joint connecting the first holding rod of the supporting mechanism to the first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms; and a second joint connecting the second holding rod of the supporting mechanism to the second rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms (joints in the form of slots 21 are connected to the rotating arms 36).
6. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more pressurizer units comprise: two or more pistons (37) connected to two or more piston connecting rods (38) wherein: a first side of a first piston connecting rod of the two or more piston connecting rods is connected to a first piston of the two or more pistons; and a second side of the first piston connecting rod is connected to a first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms (see Figures, 38 connecting rods 38 connected to on one side to piston 37 and connected to rotating arms 35, 36 on the other side); and a first cylinder (29) configured to at least partially house the first piston, wherein the first piston moves in the first cylinder (pistons 37 moves within respective cylinders 29).
7. The propulsion apparatus of claim 6, wherein: a first side of a second piston connecting rod of the two or more piston connecting rods is connected to a second piston of the two or more pistons; a second side of the second piston connecting rod is connected to the first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms (see Figures, 38 connecting rods 38 connected to on one side to piston 37 and connected to rotating arms 35, 36 on the other side);
and the propulsion device comprises: a third joint connecting the second side of the first piston connecting rod to the first rotating arm of the one or more rotating arms, wherein the third joint allows the first piston to move in the first cylinder; a fourth joint connecting the second side of the second piston connecting rod to the first rotating arm, wherein the fourth joint allows the second piston to move in a second cylinder configured to at least partially house the second piston (see joints in the form of balls on the ends of the connecting rod 38); and a first joint connecting a first holding rod of the supporting mechanism to the first rotating arm (joints in the form of slots 21 on the holding rod 20 are connected to the rotating arms 36).
17. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more materials comprise at least one of: a gas; a liquid; a solid; or a plasma (hydraulic fluid is disclosed, which is a liquid).
18. The propulsion apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the propulsion apparatus is a non-contacting propulsion apparatus; the propulsion apparatus transforms a centrifugal force obtained from the rotation of the rotating assembly about the one or more rotation axes to an adjustable force (rotation of 20 is converted to an adjustable output force through the transmission system and output with adjustable torque on output shaft 23); the one or more transfer pipes are connected to the two or more pressurizer units via one or more valves (72); or a cross-sectional shape of a transferring pipe of the one or more transfer pipes is at least one of circular, oval, triangular, square, rectangular, or polygonal (fluid transfer pipes are circular).
19. A propulsion apparatus, comprising: a power generation unit; and a propulsion device, comprising: a rotating assembly, comprising: a first pressurizer unit; a second pressurizer unit; one or more rotating arms connected to the first pressurizer unit, the second pressurizer unit and a supporting mechanism; and one or more transfer pipes connected to the first pressurizer unit and the second pressurizer unit to allow one or more materials to move between the first pressurizer unit and the second pressurizer unit; and the supporting mechanism which allows the rotating assembly to rotate about one or more rotation axes (see claim 1 rejection for equivalent limitation mapping and discussion).
20. The propulsion apparatus of claim 19, wherein the power generation unit applies a generated power to rotate the rotating assembly about the one or more rotation axes (see claim 2 rejection for equivalent limitation mapping and discussion).
Claim(s) 1, 2, 6, 17, 18, 19, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Smith et al. (US 3270508), hereinafter ‘Smith’. Smith discloses claims 1, 2, 6, 17, 18, 19, 20, see annotated Smith Fig. 1’, all limitations are either annotated or apparent from the figures and disclosure.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5, 8-10, 15-16, objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art does not disclose nor render obvious the limitations of 5, 8-10, 15-16 in combination with their base claim limitations.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Stephens (US 3198179), Stark (US 3398699), Shulenberger et al. (US 6968751), discloses a device having pertinent structures such as two piston in the same cylinder, with rotating arms and pivot joints.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Dustin T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)270-0163. The examiner can normally be reached M - F: 8:00am - 4:30pm.
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/DUSTIN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745 October 15, 2025